Flood-hit villagers are questioning the reasoning behind a £1.7m sewage pipeline project that overlooks the problem pumping station that causes all the spills.

Flood-hit villagers are questioning the reasoning behind a £1.7m sewage pipeline project that overlooks the problem pumping station that causes all the spills.

Construction has started on the long-awaited scheme to divert sewage flows away from overloaded Ormesby in a bid ease overflow problems at Decoy Road.

But parish council chairman Geoff Freeman said a recent spate of component breakdowns at the pumping station had triggered fears the 40-year-old facility could undermine the massive engineering effort.

“I am a bit worried that we will still have a very old pumping station in Ormesby. Anglian Water say that because there will be less pressure it will break down less often - but that is a load of cobblers. If you have a knackered old car and you drive it 10 miles or 100 miles there is still a good chance it will break down,” he said.

“They are starting in earnest on the pipeline but the problem is that in a period of five days the pumping station broke down three times. Our toilets are bubbling up so often that we have to keep towels handy.

“We want to know when its serviced and when its maintained with only two blokes working from Pakefield to North Norfolk.”

Parish, borough and county councillor Jim Shrimplin said he had recently reported a sewage spill in Decoy Road, adding: “Anglian Water's hides seem to be so thick nothing will penetrate it. However good the new pipeline is it will still leave us with a rather dubious pumping station. It remains to be seen if when the load is eased things will improve.

“The question must be asked should that be replaced as well. We have so many component failures it points to it being worn out.

“The enforcement agency is the Environment Agency and all we can do is write to them. What is going to be done to replace the worn out components? It has been there 40 years. The technology is somewhat out of date. We can only hope that it will alleviate the problem.”

A spokesman for Anglian Water said the project to create a new pumping station at Thoroughfare Lane and 6km of new sewer taking flows direct to Caister and should be completed by April. He said the new infrastructure would run parallel with the existing pumping station, taking much of its workload. “Quite often if you have problems its because the pumping station is having to work flat out,” he added.