YOUR report (LET, March 31) about sewage pollution in our pond illustrates the constant threat posed by the two surface water sewers crossing our land. They were laid by the local authorities some years ago, and have been responsible for numerous pollution incidents and also extensive flooding of our surrounding pasture and the public footpath.
It is our understanding that authorities can lay such pipes without the landowner's permission, under the Public Health Act 1936, which then gives future developers the legal right to connect their surface water drains into them, regardless of any potential adverse effect to the landowner's property.
When planning applications are being considered, it must surely be the authority's responsibility to ensure that problems do not arise elsewhere as a result of consent being granted, and if consent is given with the knowledge that problems will occur, it can only be classed as a major flaw in development control.
The wisdom of laying sewers, with outfalls into private ponds and watercourses which are used for fishing and drinking water for livestock, must be highly questionable.
When a new housing development nearby was proposed, we knew it would inevitably make matters worse, so we began a dialogue with Burnley Council two-and-a-half years ago to request the diversion of the sewers out of the pond, continuing them a further 400 metres along Mill Hill Lane to outfalls in Castle Clough (where the overflow from the pond culminates).
As we have had little success so far, we have got a petition together of 189 signatures, which I have now sent to the authority responsible - North West Water - a multi-million pound organisation, whose vehicles carry the slogan 'Caring for the environment.'
It will be interesting to see how much they care for ours, and I'm sure you would be willing to print any comments they or Burnley Council may wish to make.
RUTH McGREAR (Mrs), Mill Hill Lane, Hapton.
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