Re: Autumn 2015 | Page 56

the Sewer A trip down Having dealt with various claims regarding sewers, or rather things stuck down and blocking up the sewers, our Litigation Department decided that a trip to the Victorian Sewers in Brighton might be a relevant and entertaining trip. As it turned out, quite a few people from Mayo’s have harboured a longheld desire to take a trip to see the inside of sewers, and so we booked the Brighton Sewers Tour, run by Southern Water. The thought of going down sewers that are fully in use was a bit nerve-wracking, particularly when you were working out what to wear and whether it would smell of, well, you know what! As it was, the smell was not too bad. You definitely noticed it at first, but soon got used to it. Apparently it soon killed the smell receptors in your nose… We met the four tour guides at the front door next to Brighton Pier. They worked there full time and clearly knew their ‘stuff’. We picked out hard hats and gloves, and listened to the safety briefing. History of Brighton Sewers Brighton (or Brighthelmstone) started off as a fishing village. It grew in size and in the 19th Century, notable doctors recommended ‘taking the sea air’ and the benefits of drinking sea water and sea bathing. Brighton became a seaside health resort, with tourists coming to swim (or be dunked) in the sea from bathing machines. When the Prince Regent arrived and set up home in the modest Royal Pavilion, the town became even more popular with this Royal approval and thousands came to swim and socialise, as they do today. However, whilst the tourists extolled the benefits of the sea water, their sewage was being dumped into cesspools and onto the beach. This led to the ironic and unpleasant situation where the sea water itself, which was supposed to have all these health benefits, became polluted with raw sewage which would wash up on these crowded beaches. Imagine the smell, mixed with the salt air and fish, not really helping a dodgy stomach or consumption! In the 1860s Brighton Council decided that something needed to be done. They designed and built an enormous and ambitious sewage tunnel system under the town, by hand, to drain the sewage and surface water into three outfalls at the west of the town, the centre and at Black Rock. Bricklayers made millions of bricks which were hand laid into the circular and egg-shaped tunnels. An impressive 44 miles of sewers were originally laid underneath Brighton; this has increased to 300 miles of main sewers beneath Brighton and Hove as the urban areas increased. It was a feat of Victorian engineering, and their design and workmanship has meant that the original sewers are still in use today. It seems incredible to look at all the millions of individual bricks, and realise that they were all made and laid by hand. Whilst the waste and surface water still drained into the sea, this was disposed further out to sea and away from the beaches. The sea tides were used to flush out parts of the system which kept the sewers themselves relatively clean. In the 1990’s а massive storm water collection drain was constructed beneath Brighton beach, using tunnelling machines. This is wide enough to drive а bus through,. Pumps have been installed and this tunnel can take the heaviest of rainfall and pump it into the drain, and back out when required. With heavy rain, the sewer systems can easily flood, and warning and weather tracking systems are in place to ensure there is time to escape before it floods, and to help the drain systems can kick into action in time. Southern water now run the system and are responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the tunnels and pipe systems. 54