A Darlington businessman who has a sewage pipe running across his land which has leaked twice a year for the last decade said he "cannot believe" it is leaking yet again. 

Rob Wytcherley owns a small patch of land at Stapleton, North Yorkshire, with a sewage mains pipe running over it.

Last year he spoke to The Northern Echo about having to put up with the 130-year-old pipe leaking at least twice a year since 2013.

Now it has been leaking again and he is frustrated by "Hearing nothing from them (Northumbria Water)".

The Northern Echo: Sewage at Stapleton farmThe Northern Echo: Sewage at Stapleton farm

Mr Wytcherley said: "I was up there just before Christmas and I noticed it had burst again.

"I thought let's see if they repair it themselves.

"It's been leaking all of this time into the Tees. There is no monitoring.

"It was a right mess until the floods, that washed it all away again.

"It's been building up again. 

"It's broken all those times, temporary fixes aren't enough.

"It's 120 years old and it is knackered. It should be monitored."

Northumbria Water has committed to fixing the pipe on Mr Wytcherley's land as part of its upcoming investment plan.

They defended their track record of fixing the pipe whenever it has burst.

A Northumbrian Water spokesperson said: "A permanent fix at Stapleton is included in our future investments, which are currently in the planning stage. 

"In recent years we have replaced sections and carried out fixes every time there has been an issue reported to us.  

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"Our crews, together with partners, have investigated and fixed the burst on Mr Wytcherley’s land and we are happy to continue to work together to progress the work needed to permanently fix the issue."

An environment agency spokesperson said: "We are currently investigating fresh reports of a sewage spill onto land at Stapleton.

"It's important for members of the public if they notice pollution to report it straight away to our free phone number 0800807060.