Just weeks after two leaks of sewage in west Swindon, the borough council’s cabinet might be tasked by councillors with reporting on whether the town’s sewers are fit for purpose, especially as it grows.

A motion put forward by Labour councillors Rob Heath and Jane Milner-Barry says: “This council recognises that the nation faces a difficult problem with outdated sewage systems that have needed investments for years.

“Swindon is a growing town, and we need to make sure it is also a clean town. We need to think ahead now about how we will handle our growth properly so that the much-needed housing development does not become a burden worse than the problem it solves.”

The motion says there were more than 2,000 hours when “untreated sewage was being dumped somewhere in Swindon from an overflow pipe” in 2021.

If the motion is passed – and it would need the support of at least some Conservative councillors, or for the ruling group to abstain, to do so – the cabinet member for finance, commercialisation and climate change Keith Williams will be asked to report back to council in March.

His report should examine whether: “the Swindon sewage system is capable of accommodating the currently planned housing developments without there being an increase in the need for untreated sewage to be released through overflows?

“What is being done to strengthen the sewage network, through means such as building in increased redundancy?

“What has been the council’s role in the improvement of the sewage systems, and how could this be strengthened?

The cabinet member for organisational excellence Coun Dale Heenan will be asked about improving communications to residents when waterways are unfit to enter.

A spokesman for Thames Water apologised for the two sewer bursts in Haydon End and added: “We had long-term plans to replace the pipe, which burst in two different places, by 2025.

"However, given the frequency of the recent bursts, plans are now underway to try and replace it sooner.”

The company said it was trying to ensure growth did not exceed the capacity of the sewage and water infrastructure: “We look at each development case by case and where needed will request conditions are added to planning applications, so for example, new homes are not occupied until the necessary upgrades to our infrastructure have taken place.”

The spokesman added: “We are currently increasing sewage treatment capacity at a number of our sewage works across the Thames Valley, including Witney and Fairford to be completed by 2025.”