Plans to connect beach toilets to mains sewers will not worsen flooding in a posh coastal village, Anglian Water has insisted.
The National Trust wants to replace an aging septic tank at Brancaster Beach by digging a pipeline beside Broad Lane.
It says the move would mean tanker lorries would no longer be needed to pump out the cesspit, while unsightly overhead power lines which run along the road could also be buried as part of the work.
Waste would be piped to the nearest treatment works five miles away at Burnham Market, which has suffered severe flooding in recent winters.
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But an Anglian Water spokesman said: "As this is a very small connection for the public toilets relative to the area, it won’t make an appreciable difference to the capacity in the area.
"We’re working with the National Trust on this project which will see us connecting the foul sewer to the public toilets once planning permission is granted."
A spokesman for the trust said: "We are currently at the design stage of our project at Brancaster, to connect the public toilets to the main sewage network and remove the risk of leaks.
"We have been working with Anglian Water, who have advised there is capacity to connect into the mains drain and are designing a project to meet their standards. It's still early days and we don't yet have a date for submitting a planning application."
The trust said relying on a cesspit means there is an ongoing risk of sewerage escaping and polluting the surrounding area during a storm surge.
Burying the cables along with the work would transform the landscape, creating open views across the marshes and remove the risk of birds flying into the wires.
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