Town Centre Street Flooded by Raw Sewage

Raw sewage ran down Fort Hill in central Margate earlier today. The town centre scene showed waste flowing past the Turner Contemporary.

The street flooded with foul-smelling effluent. Passing cars splashed the waste onto pavements and littered the area with tissue and debris.

Photographs of the incident were taken by Frank Leppard. The overflow appeared to start near the drain outside Margate Police Station.

Immediate response and cleanup

Emergency teams attended the site after reports of the spill. A clean-up operation has since taken place and the area was cleared.

Local officials said the sewer network is now operating normally. Inspectors identified the source and addressed the blockage.

Local councillor demands answers

Councillor Helen Whitehead contacted Southern Water on social media. She called for a full explanation and an extensive biological cleanup.

She described the state of the town centre as unacceptable. She requested details on how future incidents will be prevented.

Southern Water statement

The company said it received an alert at 12:42pm about an overflowing manhole. Crews attended quickly and found a blocked sewer was responsible.

Southern Water confirmed the affected area has been cleaned. The operator said the network is back to normal.

Cause and prevention measures

Engineers attributed the blockage to wet wipes and cooking fat. The firm warned these items cause many sewer incidents.

Southern Water said it uses 34,000 advanced monitors that employ AI to spot blockages early. Last year, the system allowed more than 4,000 early interventions.

The company added that about 70% of blockages are avoidable. They urged residents to flush only pee, poo and paper and to bin cooking fat.

Filmogaz.com will follow further developments as officials provide more details. Residents were advised to avoid the immediate area until authorities confirm full safety.