Water warning over Sutton Bridge churchyard

A parish councillor has claimed that rainwater is being “illegally” discharged into his village’s parish churchyard.

Concerns were raised about drainage at the St Matthew’s Church in Sutton Bridge at its latest parish council meeting last Tuesday.

Terry York says a ‘pond’ appears on the road outside the church following rain, leaving brides or funeral parties to walk through it.

He claims there are no proper gulleys or drains to take the water away.

Mr York said: “The drainage goes down underneath the pavement and is discharged into the churchyard - that’s illegal, it’s against a Government Act.

“It’s illegal to discharge waste water of any description into a churchyard.”

Mr York said the St Matthew’s parochial church council has written to Lincolnshire County Council Highways officials to raise its concerns over the issue.

He said the boundary wall is being undermined by the water.

Coun York told members that allowing waste water to discharge in an area where there are graves could result in bacteria entering the water table.

Lincolnshire County Council has been asked to respond to the concerns but has so far not done so.

During the same meeting, Mr York also raised concerns about unauthorised signs being placed in locations around the village where they could potentially inconvenience users of wheelchairs and mobility scooters, as well as motorists.

He highlighted a number of potential trouble spots.