WORK to fix a burst sewer pipe has continued for a third day causing disruption for residents.

Southern Water technicians have been working since the early hours of Tuesday morning to prevent sewage flooding homes and gardens after a sewer burst in Orient Road, Lancing.

On Wednesday morning, the water company said the repair work had not been as quick as planned and that crews had been unable to completely empty the mainline to allow work to be undertaken safely.

It said the main priority is to identify the source of the water still entering the main. Work continued into the evening.

Nigel Sweet, who lives in The Broadway near the crossroads with Orient Road said: "We weren’t best pleased that the loud pneumatic drilling into the concrete road didn’t start till 9pm yesterday, and continued past midnight, but I suppose the sewer repair must be done ASAP.

"Incidentally, there was a problem at the pumping station in Orient Road last week before the deluge erupted at the crossroads on Monday evening. Several large tankers going to and fro then, so I guess this has been an issue for over a week now."

Photos taken today show the repair is ongoing and some clean up of the road has started.

Nigel says he has not heard from the water company today.

In a statement Southern Water said: “We are sorry for the continued disruption our ongoing work to repair the burst main in Orient Road, Lancing is causing for residents and road users.

"We have now been able to start a clean-up of the area, where we have been able to remove the floodwater and we are working as quickly and quietly as possible to get as much clean-up completed tonight as we can. Our clean-up work will continue throughout the repairs.

"We will ensure we are as considerate as possible to local residents with our ongoing work and we thank them for their patience.

"Our repair team has been working hard on and off-site today to isolate the damaged pipe. It’s essential we stop the flow of water through the pipe before we start the repairs in order to protect the environment and ensure the repair can be carried out safely,

"We continue to use tankers to maintain our services to local customers, ensuring they can use their bathrooms and kitchens as normal."

It also confirmed that customer representatives will also be onsite to support people in the area today.

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