Steve Parsley's spin from Yorkshire Water in the Driffield Post last week showed, in my opinion, how out of touch Yorkshire Water is with the real situation in Nafferton.

It's important to emphasise that Yorkshire Water's Sewage Pumping Station in Nethergate has been a significant factor since 1999 and this has been an ongoing situation long before the floods of last year.

Residents are well aware of the difference between surface water and sewage flooding. These are two separate and distinct problems. Surface water flooding was highlighted by the floods of June 2007 and, secondly, the on-going reliability and maintenance issues with Nethergate SPS have been an issue since much earlier.

Nafferton Flood Watch are committed to partnership working to solve the surface water problems in Nethergate and plans are in the pipeline to solve this eventually by re-instating filled-in drainage dykes and reconnecting these to Nafferton Beck and Nafferton Drain.

However, we are equally committed to solving the sewage pumping problem. This can only be done if Yorkshire Water play their part.
The floods of June 2007 made worse a pre-existing condition - sewage backing up the street and residents drains every time the Nethergate SPS failed. The elderly pumps were clearly time-expired and kept breaking down.

The two elderly Barrington pumps had maintenance and operational breakdowns on a regular basis once the St Quintins development had doubled the number of houses connected to the system.

If these pumps were suitable and sufficient there would have been no need to install temporary pumps after the June 2007 floods to provide a sticking plaster solution. The pumping station was clearly not fit for purpose way before the floods even in dry weather and it is a liability not an asset.

A new pumping station with a bigger wet well storm capacity is the obvious solution. There is a clear case for capital investment. If Beeford, Frodingham and Wansford have new SPS, why can't Nafferton? Investing in a new fence is not going to keep the sewage from escaping and the new hoist is simply a ploy to make temporary pumps into a long-term operational reality. Yorkshire Water have, in fact ,costed a replacement pumping station which, in itself, shows that a new one is needed.

Since Yorkshire Water are 'so committed to Nafferton' as they claim we invite Mr Parsley to prove this by stating in this newspaper next week when they are going to go ahead with a new SPS as evidence of their good intentions, as requested by residents and our East Riding ward councillors.

Residents are happy to accept short term disruption for long term benefits in order to get a lasting solution to the SPS reliability issue. This requires capital investment by Yorkshire Water which passed on £763m to its shareholders last year. So clearly there is enough money in the pot.

It is the on-going sewage pumping problem through lack of investment we are asking Yorkshire Water to solve as the SPS is clearly their property.

So our message to Yorkshire Water is that trying to pass off the pumping station issue as simply storm flooding is misleading and insulting to residents who have had your effluent in their houses.

Come clean, Mr Parsley, and stop the spin as we pay a lot of money to your company. We are entitled to receive a quality service in return for the removal of both surface water and sewerage.

Otherwise, we are entitled to ask whether you are providing value for our money.