Sewage is leaking into a river that snakes through the heart of a busy town centre.

The leakage is coming from an outflow pipe beside the River Len, just below the Sainsbury’s car park off Padsole Lane in Maidstone.

It is flowing into the River Len, which then flows underneath The Mall shopping centre and emerges in the millpond alongside Palace Avenue and in front of the former Rootes motor dealership.

The Rootes building – officially known as Len House – is currently being reconstructed by Classicus Estates as a block of 159 luxury apartments, many of which will look out directly onto the sewage-polluted pond.

Tony Harwood is the chairman of the River Len Local Nature Reserve, where the pipe is located.

Earlier this year, he had praised Southern Water for the work it did on another pipe in the reserve that had also been leaking sewage for years.

He said the repair had “transformed the area".

Commenting on the latest leak, he said: “This is a combined wastewater system overflow so sometimes the outflow is more diluted than others.

“However, on occasion, there has been a significant level of contamination, with lots of human waste and lots of wet wipes.

“This has been going on for three months now.

“Despite numerous approaches to Southern Water and a site visit by the Environment Agency, nothing has been done.

“The presence of human faeces is sometimes all too obvious (as is the smell).

“The net effect is that the Rootes Mill Pond is acting as a sewage settlement lagoon.”

A spokesman for Southern Water said: “One of our teams will be attending the site to investigate urgently.”

The Environment Agency has not responded to a request for comment.

Mr Harwood said: “It is obvious that the Southern Water wastewater system that serves south-east Maidstone and flows through Mote Park and the River Len Local Nature Reserve simply cannot cope with the huge volumes of sewage and surface water run-off from our ever-expanding urban sprawl.

“Significant investment by Southern Water and other stakeholders is desperately needed.

“The sewage stench in parts Maidstone town centre, including the bus 'station' at the Mall, is totally unacceptable and adds to the whiff of decline that (literally) hangs over the County Town.”