The main road through Coverack has reopened after it was shut for five days due to a sewage leak.

A blockage caused pressure on the pipes that transport waste from one end of the village to the other, resulting in one pipe bursting beneath the road past the seafront.

It started pushing up through the road surface and could also be seen – and smelt – on the beach itself.

The ‘water’ on the road was spotted by parish councillor Bill Frisken, who told the Packet: “I could see this dirty water coming up through the road. It was forcing its way through the tarmac.

“I smelled it and it didn’t smell like fresh water; it couldn’t be rainwater.”

He reported it to South West Water, but was subsequently upset to realise that the number he called was an 0844 line, meaning he was charged.

He had telephoned the number written on the box that controls the pump, which was identified as the one to call to report any problems with the equipment.

Mr Frisken said: “My gripe is, it’s wrong that a water company should charge people for doing their civic duty and doing them, the water company, a favour.

“I was certainly very upset that I was being charged for something that I saw as helping both the company and the general population.”

However, a South West Water worker did visit the same afternoon, who carried out a test on the water and found that it did indeed contain sewage.

This led to the road being shut on Monday last week, in order for it to be dug up and the pipe repaired; there was no access to traffic until Friday.

Thankfully the road was shut for a relatively short period of time compared to the closure earlier this year, when storm damage meant there was no access to traffic for more than three months.

A spokesperson for South West Water said this week: “We are very grateful to the councillor for reporting this issue to us.”

She announced that on Monday this week (September 8) the water company’s main customer telephone numbers had changed to 0344 numbers.

These were 0344 346 1010 for accounts (replacing 0844 346 1010) and 0344 346 2020 for the operational/24 hour contact (replacing 0844 346 2020).

The spokesperson said calls to 0344 numbers cost no more than calls to geographic numbers (01 or 02) and unlike 0800 numbers, calls from landlines and mobiles to 034 numbers were included in inclusive minutes/free call bundles and discount schemes.

She added: “Increasingly, customers are using mobile telephones rather than their landlines to communicate.

“Calls to freephone helplines are normally free of charge from landlines but charges may apply from mobile phones, whereas mobile customers can benefit from inclusive minutes when dialling 034 numbers.”

As of Monday the new 0344 numbers will begin to replace the 0844 equivalents on bills and reminders.

“Our customer-facing website has been updated to reflect the change, and we will be updating our literature and signs in phases to keep costs down,” said the spokesperson.