Sewage spilled out over fields in West Hyde following a power failure at the Maple Lodge pumping station.

The human waste spilled out over fields near the A412 while roads around the Thames Water-owned facility needed to be closed.

Thames Water has apologised to nearby residents and is now clearing up the mess.

A spokesman said: "A power failure at a pumping station caused sewage to spill out over fields near the A412.

"The pumps are now running again and we are investigating the cause.

"We are really sorry for the mess this has caused and a full clean-up now taking place."

This is the second time in five months that sewage has been spilled onto nearby fields from the plant, in March it overflowed and took several days to clear.

Thames Water said March’s overflow was due to "groundwater infiltration and high flows" and was not related to this morning’s incident.