Bramley allotment holders angry over Severn Trent sewer plans
Allotment holders in South Yorkshire are furious at plans to lay a sewer through their plots.
Severn Trent Water wants to dig a trench through Bramley allotments near Rotherham.
In a statement, the company said it had a legal obligation to connect a new housing estate to the sewer network, and this route was the "only viable solution".
But Bramley Parish Council said it was a "misuse of power" by "bully boys".
Parish councillor Rob Faulds said the allotments on Wadsworth Road had served the community for decades.
"You can see from the standard of the gardening that it's not an abandoned place - this is extremely well-used," he said.
"They never consulted us on where the route could have gone. We have just been trampled on, it's the bully boys, it's like being mugged."
In a statement, Severn Trent said it had assessed alternative options and was satisfied the route through the allotments was the only viable solution.
"We have always intended to leave the location as near as possible to how we find it," the statement said.
"We will carry out the work as quickly as possible, keeping disruption to a minimum."
A parish council spokesperson said: "When we asked why Severn Trent hadn't used the large sewer that had been serving the same site for at least 40 years, they told us that they didn't know about it!"
Under the 1991 Water Industry Act, Severn Trent Water said it had statutory powers to carry out the work.
"As we have been refused entry to do the work we will now be investigating a magistrate's warrant in order to carry out this work."
Bramley Parish Council said it would like to defend the allotment holders in court but that it could not "simply use public money to defend against Severn Trent's reprehensible actions, when there is a chance of losing the case and the costs could run into several thousand pounds".