A COUNCILLOR says a village's sewerage system is about to collapse because a water company is delaying vital improvement work.
Councillor Doris Jones, who represents Middleton St George on Darlington Borough Council, told a meeting of Lower Dinsdale Parish Council that Northumbrian Water had promised to upgrade the village's sewerage system.
The former Mayor of Darlington was speaking out against a proposed development of 44 flats in the village.
She said the sewerage system was overflowing and could not cope with extra waste.
She said housing developers had given funds to Northumbrian Water to upgrade the sewage farm.
"Sadly, Northumbrian Water are not spending that money in the village on improving the sewer," she said.
Northumbrian Water spokesman Alistair Baker said the onus was on developers to do upgrading work if capacity was a problem.
"Ordinarily we wouldn't take money for that kind of work. If we did we would certainly invest it in the system. We are not aware of any particular flooding problems in that area," he said.
But Mr Baker said the village treatment works was going to be upgraded.
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