'Our sewers are overloaded - they won't cope with new housing'

Campaigners fighting plans for up to 167 new homes near their village have expressed fears that the development could overwhelm existing drains and lead to "sewage in our streets".

Miller Homes has applied to North Yorkshire Council to build on farmland at Kirby Hill, near Boroughbridge, but Yorkshire Water then objected to the scheme, citing concerns over the inadequate capacity of the public sewer.

Kirby Hill - Protect Our Village members said drains backed up near the housing site during the dry summer of 2025 and that the water system was already under pressure. Miller responded that Yorkshire Water had not supplied "technical evidence" about the issue.

Campaigner Steve Cove said: "We've made the point it's already a health hazard, so adding to it seems a ridiculous thing to consider."

In a statement, a Miller Homes spokesperson said: "Miller Homes is committed to working with North Yorkshire Council and Yorkshire Water to ensure the proposed development is both sustainable and deliverable.

"As a responsible housebuilder, we would not build homes that could not be served by the appropriate infrastructure."

Cove added: "We may have taken away a large amount of good quality agricultural land to build houses that nobody can actually live in, unless or until Yorkshire Water is able to increase the capacity."

Cove said his first reaction, when he saw overflow running down a main road near the proposed site, was one of "disbelief".

He added: "It's now moved into a feeling of resignation whenever it rains. Families – including children – are walking and playing in the area near where the sewers are already over capacity and sewage already collects. It's a clear and obvious risk to people's health."

Yorkshire Water's submissions to the council read: "Yorkshire Water wishes to object to the development on the grounds that flood risk, pollution and public health may all be negatively impacted as a result."

In a statement, a Yorkshire Water spokesperson added: "In this instance, we have asked for conditions to provide detailed information on the proposed foul and surface water drainage design to enable us to investigate, design and construct a solution to increase capacity of the sewer network to ensure wastewater from the proposed development can be dealt with."

However, housebuilder Miller cited the terms of the Water Industry Act 1991.

"The sewerage undertaker shall not be entitled to refuse to permit the communication of a drain or sewer with a public sewer on the ground that the public sewer is not of sufficient capacity," the firm wrote.

Kirby Hill resident Richard Harrison said the drainage and sewerage fears are part of wider concerns, raised by the campaigners, over pressure they feel new homes would put on local services.

"Local facilities are really struggling to cope with the developments that have already been put in. Boroughbridge is already getting completely clogged with traffic, if the A1 is closed traffic is re-routed past this proposed site, and it becomes gridlocked.

"If this goes ahead it will exacerbate those problems and really add to people's frustration," Harrison added.

Miller said that it was engaging with council planners to agree on how it could contribute to local infrastructure improvements and mitigate the impact of the new building.

Yorkshire Water added that it would recommend measures to increase sewer capacity such as changes to pumping rates or upgrades to pumps, sewers or water treatment works.

"Yorkshire Water is not a statutory consultee on residential planning applications, but we work closely with developers to separate surface water and wastewater where possible, to minimise the amount of rainfall entering the combined sewer system."

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