A Sutton Courtenay householder, who asked not to be named, said he has been enduring sewage invading his land and the surrounding footpaths for the past five years.

This has now prompted the UK’s largest water company to apologise.

A spokesperson said: “We apologise to residents of Sutton Courtenay who have experienced sewer flooding due to water ingress that has been caused by the heavy rain the county experienced at the beginning of the year. 

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“Sutton Courtenay is highly susceptible to sewer flooding and flooding in general due to a combination of factors including its location in a low-lying valley, extremely high groundwater levels and runoff which then contribute to hydraulic overload.  

“Following reports of sewer flooding, our teams have historically and continue to attend the area to investigate the source of the problem as soon as it is reported.”

Sewage discharged along the path and into a neighbouring property in Sutton Courtenay (Image: Public)

This comes after the man said that when it rains he “always gets foul smelling liquid spurting up through the manhole cover which leaves raw sewage in the road and on the paths and in my drive”.

Villagers have also had a major discharge when it hadn’t rained, and he said that locals often have to clean toilet paper and other objects from the village path.

Speaking in March, he added: “I regularly get raw sewage pouring out of the manhole cover polluting the footpaths and pouring into my property.”

Sewage discharged along the path and into a neighbouring property in Sutton Courtenay (Image: Public)

The man claims the issues began five years ago when Thames Water connected some new houses to the sewage system outside his property.

The road still bears the marks of Thames Water’s work with the man calling it a “nightmare”.

He added: “These shouldn’t have been connected under this manhole cover as it also the point where a pump station connects.

“They should have connected it elsewhere or spent the money to widen the sewage pipe.

A recent overflow from the Sutton Courtenay manhole (Image: Public)

“Thames Water state that there is nothing that can be done as it’s just due to heavy rain. 

“However it happens when it hasn’t been raining and surely, it’s not right that sewage should squirt up out of the manhole cover.”

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Thames Water pointed out that development matters ultimately fall within the local authority’s remit but said they were looking at a longer-term solution.

The spokesperson added: “For the time being to mitigate flooding and protect homes and the environment, the village is currently on a recurring maintenance regime for sewer cleaning.

“This ensures our assets remain free of debris and other materials so if any issues occur, they can be addressed promptly.

“To date, no blockages have been identified. However, due to the complexity of the issue investigations will continue to identify a long-term solution.” 

An application could be approved by Cherwell District Council, the planning authority, to build a 104,008 sq m data centre in Graven Hill, next door to St Davids Barracks.

After outline planning permission was granted in October 2023 with 47 conditions, the application was submitted in December 2025.

The proposed development comprises eight data centre buildings, each designed to accommodated IT infrastructure with a maximum utility capacity of 435MW – roughly the same power as one million homes.

Each data centre, which would have backup power generation facilities, is designed to accommodate computing infrastructure, which has an IT capacity of 290MW.

There would also be a substation to the southwest of the site.

Proposed site plan at Graven Hill data centre (Image: Atelier Gooch)

The site was formerly used by the Ministry of Defence for storage and distribution purposes dating back to 1942.

If approved, it is anticipated that between 500 and 800 jobs will be created once the site is fully operational with half of these position expected to be remote.

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Unlike a typical warehouse, data centres are full of servers that store digital ‘cloud’ services, which use large amounts of power and generate a substantial amount of heat.

The growth of Information Technology infrastructure services, such as ‘cloud’ computing, have expanded at pace with data centres at the core.

Reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework in December 2024 recognised data centres as ‘critical national infrastructure’ to enable the development of technology industries.

However, key issues raised by the Graven Hill Resident’s Association include power, cooling, water and heat reuse, as well as noise.

One of the biggest issues to developing Bicester has been ensuring sufficient electricity supply can meet the demands of the growing town, with a number of sites previously stalled as there is no National Grid capacity, developers say.

This problem is only expected to get worse with estimates that the UK’s total electricity demand will rise by 50 per cent in 10 years.

Birds eye view of the Graven Hill data centre (Image: Atelier Gooch)

The data centres are cooled using a combination of mechanical coolers and free cooling, which uses little water, but the latter is insufficient around 40 per cent of the year.

A noise and vibration assessment at 10 locations around Graven Hill showed acceptable levels but locations closest showed an adverse impact.

Additionally, as the electric energy turns into heat, this could be used to warm nearby homes. While this was mentioned as a possibility, there has been no other initiatives.

Other concerns include about employment, planning processes, lighting and ecology.

Cherwell District Council is expected to make a decision today (Friday, April 10).

Frasers Group has launched an AI shopping assistant on the FRASERS website, saying the tool has lifted sales conversion rates by up to 25% compared with traditional search.

Ask Frasers is available across the group’s premium fashion and lifestyle banner, relaunched under the FRASERS name after previously trading as House of Fraser. The assistant is designed to help shoppers find products through conversational queries rather than standard keyword searches.

The system uses Algolia’s Agentic Experience, drawing on external large language models alongside the retailer’s product data. It interprets details including product features, stock availability and real-time popularity signals to return answers tailored to individual queries.

Customers can use the tool to explore fashion and beauty ranges, compare prices and refine results by describing the type of item they want. The interface is designed to narrow options quickly and surface relevant products without requiring shoppers to navigate conventional category filters.

Retail push

The launch forms part of a broader technology drive at Frasers as retailers look for new ways to improve online product discovery and reduce friction in digital shopping journeys. Search has become an important battleground for online retailers, particularly in fashion, where shoppers often begin with broad or subjective requests rather than exact product names.

Conversational shopping tools have spread across the sector as retailers test whether AI can turn browsing into purchasing more effectively than standard site search. Frasers’ early conversion figure suggests the group is using sales outcomes as a key measure of whether the tool changes customer behaviour.

FRASERS sits within the group’s premium retail estate and carries fashion, beauty, accessories and home products. The brand traces its origins to a Glasgow flagship opened in 1849, and Frasers Group has expanded the store network in recent years to more than 10 FRASERS locations across the UK.

The online launch also follows the brand’s recent repositioning under the FRASERS name, part of a broader effort by the group to reshape the chain’s identity in the premium segment.

Search changes

Retailers have been investing in AI-led search and recommendation systems to make large catalogues easier to navigate. In sectors with frequent stock changes, seasonal trends and wide product assortments, traditional search bars can struggle when customers use open-ended phrases or seek advice rather than a specific item.

Frasers said Ask Frasers is context-aware, meaning it can process a shopper’s question in relation to product data and previous refinements within the same session. That is intended to produce more direct responses and cut the number of steps between search and checkout.

The group did not provide absolute sales figures tied to the launch, but said the conversion uplift came from early indicators since implementation. Conversion rates are a closely watched eCommerce metric because they track the share of visits that result in purchases, making them a useful gauge of whether a search or recommendation tool is influencing buying decisions.

Richard Lallo outlined the company’s view of the rollout in a statement: “At Frasers Group, we are committed to enhancing the customer journey, from discovery through to conversion, by creating innovative solutions that give shoppers a connected, relevant and efficient shopping experience. The launch of Ask Frasers marks an important step forward in this mission, enabling us to offer a faster, smarter and more seamless way to shop our premium fashion and lifestyle offering, reinforcing our belief that intelligent technology is shaping the future of retail.”

For Frasers, the test will be whether the tool can maintain those conversion gains as more shoppers use it across a broader mix of categories.