A build-up of fat, food waste and other debris will be sucked from the sewers beneath Sidmouth next week.

South West Water (SWW) will be cleaning out the storm storage tank beneath The Esplanade from 7pm to 11.30pm each night from Monday to Wednesday (July 21 – 23).

A contractor will then clean the sewers in Chapel Road, Dove Lane and York Street. from Thursday (July 24) to next Monday (July 28).

There will be no road closures during the work and temporary three-way traffic lights will be used on The Esplanade.

Pedestrian access to properties and businesses will be maintained.

SWW’s Richard Gilpin said: “As well as fat and food waste, we expect to encounter lots of debris washed into the sewers during the extremely wet weather earlier this year. Removing this build-up will increase the capacity of the sewers and prevent blockages and bad smells.

“We have timed the work so that it will be finished before Sidmouth FolkWeek starts on August 1.”

“We will do our best to keep any disruption to an absolute minimum, which is why we are carrying out the cleaning on The Esplanade in the evenings. In the meantime we would like to thank the people of Sidmouth for their patience while we carry out this essential work.”