Councillors visiting Burnham Water Recycling Centre queried whether proposed new homes would overload the sewage works.

Visiting the Wick Road site on May 29, Councillors Neil, Matthew and Louise Pudney, Una Norman and Ron Pratt raised questions about why 18 tankers travel up Station Road, between Burnham and Tilbury, each week.

According to owners Anglian Water, transporting the waste to Tilbury makes the treatment process the most efficient possible.

Mayor Ron Pratt said: “It was a brilliant trip, they showed us the entire place, it allayed a lot of my fears about there being sufficient capacity for sewage if we get the new homes.

“The new homes will mean an increase of three tankers a week.”