FOUL water which has been pumped onto the sporting green at Bridestowe is an 'exceptional measure' to avoid sewage floods in village properties, according to South West Water.
The pump operated for more than a week, trying to combat a back-up of water in the sewage system caused by the exceptionally high rainfall.
Paul Breakwell, spokesman for South West Water, said: 'It isn't all sewage by any means. Sewage is 99 per cent water anyway and this is even more dilute.
'Basically what we are trying to do is stop three properties flooding internally.
'This is something we have done with the agreement of the Environment Agency and environmental health officers.'
He said South West Water employees are investigating the source of the problem and remedial work would be carried out when the weather becomes drier, including scraping off the field surface and laying new soil.
'We have liaised with the parish council — we are also screening the water that's coming out of the pump to quite a fine level, the same sort of level as a storm overflow.
'It's an unusual situation, but it's a stitch in time to save nine really,' said Mr Breakwell.
'I think most people would think it's preferable to those three properties being flooded internally.'
He said it was 'unusual' that the water was being pumped over land, rather than into the brook, but that this was at the specific request of the Environment Agency.
Peter Daniels, parish clerk, said the council had been faced with a 'Catch 22' situation.
'People are not going to be happy about it but you have to make a decision. If you have properties with sewage in them that's not nice either.
'It's very difficult but these are the sort of decisions that councillors have to face.'
The sporting green is owned by American lawyer Thomas Moore. He purchased the title 'Lordship of Bridestowe Sanctuary' at an auction in London several years ago — with the title came ownership of the field, though the parish council holds the land under a long lease.