Eton College has postponed the start of its school term due to a sewage backup in its boarding houses caused by recent floods.
Concerned staff members wrote an urgent message to parents, imploring them to refrain from sending their children to school until the issue is resolved, reported MailOnline.
The note to the parents read: “I am very sorry to say that Thames Water has just alerted us to the fact that their sewerage drains are back filling due to flood water. The sewers in the centre of Eton won’t cope with the arrival of nearly 1,350 boys.”
Located near Windsor, Eton is among the most prestigious schools in the UK. It charges fees of about £50,000 a year per pupil and Princes William and Harry, as well as current Foreign Secretary David Cameron attended.
The note continued: “We cannot safely operate as a school until Thames Water have resolved the issues around our sewerage drains.”
On January 8, Thames Water issued an update on its website, acknowledging the challenges posed by recent heavy rainfall and a high water table, which have exerted significant pressure on the company’s sewers and pumping stations.
Thames Water finds itself in the middle of an industry-wide crisis, with mounting public and political demands to cease the discharge of sewage into waterways coinciding with escalating debt costs.
Last week, various regions in England grappled with some of the most severe flooding in years, leading to numerous flood warnings, particularly for the Severn and Thames rivers.
In response to the situation, Eton College revealed that it maintains regular communication with Thames Water as the utility company endeavors to resolve the issues at hand.
The college expressed optimism about the prompt resolution of the matter and looks forward to welcoming students back soon.
A Thames Water representative said its engineers are looking into sewerage issues at Eton College and apologized to staff and students.
Heavy rainfall and river flooding overloaded the local sewer, they added.
