BOURNEMOUTH’S pleasure gardens have been fully reopened after safety leaked sewage led to closures and a three-day clean-up operation.

Friday night’s storm washed debris, believed to include discharge from drains, on the grass near the Lower Garden’s bandstand and events areas.

This prompted a major cleansing operation as staff from the council and Wessex Water worked through to yesterday afternoon in a bid to make the area safe.

Visitors reported an unpleasant smell with tide marks of debris marking the flood line – and officials decided to cordon the worst hit portion off, warning the public to stay off the grass while specialist teams applied disinfectant as a “precautionary measure”.

This latest flooding comes almost exactly a year after the same area of gardens was struck with flash floods. And in August 2011 they were also left in deep floodwater during storms.

The frequency of the incidents has raised concerns about drainage in a Green Flag designated area considered vital for the town’s tourism.

Ward councillor for the town centre Mike Greene, however, dismissed these concerns when asked by the Echo if he thought there may be a more fundamental problem with infrastructure.

“This has happened twice in three years,” he said. “It was an exceptional event and I have to say the parks department have done a great job supported by Wessex Water and turned it around in no time at all.”

He said the affected area had been cordoned off for the public's safety.

A Wessex Water spokesman said its drainage network had become "overwhelmed" by the storm, adding: "We are currently looking at what can be done to resolve this in the event of future storms."

Paul Ambrose, the council’s flooding and drainage manager, said: “Bournemouth experienced an exceptional amount of rainfall over a very short period of time during the thunderstorms on Friday evening. This put a sudden demand on the sewage system in Gardens and as a result the pressure was released by the sewage cover into the adjacent area by the cross path near the bandstand. This is the lowest point in the sewer and has the least impact and ensures that the sewer does not back up into properties.

“The affected area was limited to around the sewage cover and council staff along with Wessex Water immediately secured the site and started the clean up process.”

Asked if the council held concerns about the drainage system, he said: “The main issue is the sewer system cannot cope with this volume of water and the cover acts as a pressure relief valve. It is not a result of the drainage system within the gardens, which is a separate system.”

A council spokesman added that the authority had "no concern" over the area losing its Green Flag status as the flooding was a result of a "natural occurrence".