LANDOWNERS on the route of a new sewer pipe being installed from Newland to Coleford suffered another setback this week when sewage from broken pipes spewed onto their fields.
"It is a nightmare – a terrible mess," said one of the affected landowners, Mrs Margaret Duberley, who lives in Ruspidge.
"The people suffering from all this were told initially by letter that there would be little or no disruption, but it is awful."
Farmers along the route of the new pipe complained earlier this year when contractors undertaking the work turned their paddocks into a quagmire and broke hedges and fences.
Part of the problem, they said, was that Welsh Water had fenced off too narrow a strip of land to allow sub-contractors Tilbury Douglas to complete the work efficiently. This was presumably to limit the amount of compensation that would ultimately be paid to landowners.
However Hyder, the parent company for Welsh Water, said compensation would automatically be paid and all factors would be taken into account.
The broken sewer pipe was first tackled by council workmen and it is understood Welsh Water has set up a temporary bypass pipe to stop more sewage escaping.
Earlier in their work the contractors also broke a Severn Trent water main, flooding sections of the diggings, but blamed the bulk of their problems on too much rain.
But the landowners say they feel their pasture could take years to recover – and they would like swift action to clear up the mess caused by the latest mishap.