The sewage leak that polluted rivers in Swindon is now over.

A row of Thames Water tankers were seen on Thamesdown Drive near the Tawny Owl last week while workers attended the Haydon End pumping station to rectify the issue.

Workers had fenced off part of the pub's car park last week as they raced to stop sewage leaking into the nearby Shaw Forest Park.

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Providing an update to the Adver on Tuesday, just over a week after the leak started, a Thames Water spokesperson said: "Our engineers worked through Saturday night and Sunday morning to repair the sewage pipe linked to the pumping station in Haydon End.

“The repair has now been completed and we're working hard to limit any further disruption to the immediate area this week. We’re really sorry for any disturbance or inconvenience this burst has caused."

Last week, a burst sewer meant sewage flowed into a lagoon in part of Shaw Forest Park, with some of the waste water escaping into Lydiard Brook and River Ray.

A spokesperson said at the time: "Our tankers are helping to reduce these flows.

"We are monitoring the river’s water quality closely, and are taking steps to help the river recover, including increasing oxygen levels in the river to protect wildlife.

“We’d like to apologise to local residents for any disruption caused by the tankers and to assure customers that they will be able to use water and flush toilets as normal during this time.”

The water company had previously given an explanation for the disruption on Thamesdown Drive and again apologised for any inconvenience caused where tankers were connecting to the sewer network and removing more of the waste water, which allowed them to undertake the repair to the sewer.

Back in August, both Thames Water and the Environment Agency were called to the area to investigate why fish were dying in the river.

The firm warned that pets should be kept on a lead around the River Ray to minimise the risk of them coming into contact with contaminated water.

A break in the foul water sewer was detected near the junction with Thamesdown Drive and Queen Elizabeth Drive.

The public were first made aware of the leak after South Marston Parish Council warned locals to stay away from Quarry Brook.

There was also another burst pipe at the pumping station in April 2021.

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