A village will have its sewers sealed in a bid to reduce sewage overflows into bathing spots.

Southern Water will carry out the works in Funtington near Chichester as part of plans to reduce storm overflows into the city’s harbour.

Sewers in other areas nearby such as East Dean will also be sealed off. More than a kilometre of sewers have been sealed off since July.

Joff Edevane of Southern Water’s Clean Rivers and Seas Task Force said: “We’re delighted to start work on sealing sewers in Funtington, our programme of work in West Sussex is continuing at pace and we know that it will make a real difference in tackling the issues caused by groundwater.

“By doing this work we can help protect our network and customer’s homes for when heavy rainfall and groundwater issues arise over the coming months.”

“Customers in this area will notice an increase in activity over the coming weeks and we’re sorry for the disruption these works will cause.”

Sewers are sealed off to stop extra groundwater, meaning that treatment works are put under less pressure.

The technique has led to over 85 per cent fewer tankers being used in other parts of the South Coast, Southern Water said.