Sewer Burst Prompts Emergency Response At Appley Park

Emergency work is underway at Appley Park in Ryde after another sewer problem was discovered close to the wastewater pumping station.

Southern Water has brought in equipment to help manage flows while engineers investigate and repair the fault.

Part of Appley Park has been excavated, while Appley Car Park has been closed and is being used to support the operation.

Tankers are also being used as part of the response.

Southern Water says its teams are working near the Appley Park Transfer Wastewater Pumping Station, with temporary storage and tanker capacity available if needed while repairs take place.

A history of problems

The latest incident comes after a number of significant sewer failures affecting Appley and the surrounding network in recent years.

The most serious occurred in January 2021, when a large sinkhole appeared on the footpath between Appley and Puckpool.

A major underground sewer was subsequently found to have collapsed.

The repair and associated works continued for more than a year, with the area eventually reopening in April 2022.

The project ultimately cost around £7 million.

Appley has also been used during emergency work elsewhere on the network.

Temporary storage facilities and tankers were brought into the area in 2023, while repairs were carried out to a pressurised sewer at Yaverland.

Further storage containers were installed at Appley Car Park in 2024, when a separate failure occurred near West Lane in Brading.

Later that year, a burst rising main on Appley Road required another major response.

There were further sewer problems at Appley Park in 2025, including incidents in July and October which again involved repair work and the use of tankers.

The latest operation is now underway, with the car park closed for the duration of the works.