Concerns that a river could become contaminated by raw sewage has stirred a parish council into action to rigorously pursue enforcement against a business co-owned by one of its members.

Eastern Daily Press: Pablo Dimoglou, Yaxham WatersPablo Dimoglou, Yaxham Waters (Image: Archant)

A heated meeting of Yaxham Parish Council last night heard that Yaxham Waters, a farm shop and holiday lodge business part owned by parish and district councillor Pablo Dimoglou, was not adhering to its planning conditions regarding sewage disposal.

Members of the public filled the meeting room to complain of the noise and smell caused by the business, near Dereham, requiring tankers to pump out its sewage up to twice a day.

They also fear that the storage tanks could overflow and contaminate the nearby River Tud.

The meeting heard that Breckland Council planners gave permission in 2008 for the lodges to be erected on condition that it installed a sewage treatment plant but this had never been done.

Mr Dimoglou told the meeting he was trying to get connected to the mains sewerage but it was being delayed by Anglian Water.

'It is not in my interest to have the tankers every day and I don't want it to continue,' he said. 'I am happy to pay for it and advance the sewerage connection.

'No-one wants it to progress more than me. It is going as fast as it can. I have put in three surveys and I am waiting for engineers' modelling.'

Angry exchanges with the public saw Mr Dimoglou accuse them of 'using the parish council as a puppet' and said he had always dealt with any complaints made in person to him immediately.

Kevin Eldred, who lives next to Yaxham Waters, said: 'All the sewage goes into a cess pit which is supposed to serve one bungalow not 30-plus lodges, five static caravans and a shower block. The cess pit is on the edge of a stream which feeds into the River Tud.

'The smell and grinding noise that goes on for 30 minutes twice a day is distressing.'

Another resident said she was concerned about the health and safety issue. 'People are eating meals and food is being prepared while sewage is being pumped out. The smell is dreadful.'

Another added: 'I can't understand how something like this has been allowed to slip through the net.'

Parish council chairman Peter Lowings said they would have to push Breckland Council to get a reaction.

'I recognise that it cannot be allowed to continue,' he said. 'He (Mr Dimoglou) realises there is a problem but he said in January that he would be connected in six months. He has let himself down.'

Mr Lowings said the parish council would write to Breckland enforcement, environmental health and the Environment Agency and would keep the item on the agenda for future meetings until they had feedback.

Before the meeting a Breckland Council spokesman told the EDP: 'We are currently looking into this matter, but the operators have indicated an intention to connect to mains drainage so the council will, as a matter of course, continue to work positively and proactively with them to ensure this is done as quickly as possible.'

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