A culvert collapse left a "mud torrent" running down a major road in the bradford district.
Water mixed with sewage and debris, including sanitary products, paper and wipes, has been seeping along Wheathead Lane, Keighleyfor more than a week.
based in Bradford yorkshire Water said the problem was caused by a collapsed culvert spilling its unsightly contents onto the roadside.
A dog walker said the busy flow of traffic and heavy rain combined with leaking sewage created unpleasant fog for pedestrians along the route.
The photos show a series of wet papers, stones and what appears to be excrement between the cracks and ravines in the road.
The area surrounding the collapsed culvert was sectioned off by fences and orange cones.
Work is now underway to fix the road, Yorkshire Water said, while the sewage has already been cleaned up.
The fenced section of Wheathead Lane, Keighley (Image: Newsquest, Mike Simmonds)
The resident, who lives in nearby Random Close, likened the pothole in the road to a sinkhole.
The man, who did not want to be named, told the Telegraph & Argus: โFor the last week, water has been coming out. [Wheathead Lane].
โWe have water gushing out of ravines on the side of the road.
โIt's pretty disgusting and pretty unhealthy.
โYou can see things drifting along the way and it doesn't take much to figure out what they were. It was horrible, all kinds.
โWalking the dog, you had to walk away. The road itself, when it was raining, the cars going down, was sprayed everywhere and in the spray was debris.
โThere are quite a few paths coming out of it, it's quite an important path.
โYou could see that there were things and there were stones and rocks and debris.
โThere are about three or four houses, it's right outside. When they leave the house, you have to walk down their little path and you are directly in this torrent of mud. There are families there.
"It's ridiculous.
A sewer has collapsed on Wheathead Lane (Image: Chamber Club)
"It got worse and worse."
A Yorkshire Water spokesman said: โWe are aware of a collapsed sewer in Wheathead Lane, Keighley, which has caused sewage to build up and spill onto the road.
"Our crews are fixing this on site and we'd like to thank our customers for being with us as we get it fixed ASAP."
The spokesperson said that repairs to the damaged sewer began on Tuesday, July 18. The traffic light system will allow workers to complete the job safely.
The spokesperson added: "We understand how distressing these incidents can be and we apologize for any inconvenience caused."
A Bradford Council spokesman said: "We are supporting Yorkshire Water to resolve this issue as quickly as possible."
Several residents contacted local councilors in the area and expressed their concerns on social media.
Councilor Paul Godwin (Labour, Keighley West) and Councilor Julie Glentworth (Conservative, Keighley West) were among representatives who relayed the reports to Yorkshire Water.
But Cllr Glentworth said the problem had not been resolved quickly enough.
Council said she first reported complaints from neighbors to Yorkshire and Bradford Water Council 10 days ago.
Earlier this week, Cllr Glentworth said he was told Yorkshire Water is currently testing a new response system, where certain postcodes are allocated to contractors.
Changes reported to help in the Keighley ZIP code have not been shared with residents, he said.
Yorkshire Water did not comment on the councilor's claims when approached by Telegraph & Argus.
Cllr Glentworth said: โThe resident may have complained but the contracted team did not reach the postcode area.
โNo one bothered to tell anyone that they are doing this test and that certain zip codes will be dealt with elsewhere.
โIf they had notified us, we would have known immediately who to turn to.โ
He added: โWe are constantly telling Yorkshire Water that they need to deal faster with these things.
โWe are constantly trying to chase everything. These companies do not think about the customer at the endโ.
