Church members had visions of it being spring water which could be bottled and sold but earlier this year it was confirmed as contaminated.

Now property steward Reg Kemp said the leakage problems seem to have been resolved – thanks to the combined efforts of Craig Scott of Anglian Water and his team.

They have re-discovered a hidden manhole in the memorial garden next to the church, which gives access to a drain which takes mainly floodwater and links with the Hythe Sewer.

Said Mr Kemp: "On investigation, it transpired there was a blockage somewhere preventing the water from the manhole flowing freely and after two or three hours of strenuous high pressure water jetting Craig and his team managed to clear the blockage."

The manhole is almost exactly along the line of what Edna Stacey, the curator at March Museum, identified from records of the old March Health Board as St Thomas's Cut – which dates back to the 1850s and is not shown on Anglian Water's survey maps.

Mr Kemp said the St Thomas's Cut drain was installed after the devastating cholera outbreak in March and was specifically intended to carry floodwater into the Hythe.

"How did the blocked manhole cause water to flood into our cellar? Well, it's still not entirely clear, but a long time ago the cellar housed the church kitchen and there is still evidence of an old disused drainage system which would have carried away waste water from the kitchen sink.

"Presumably, the blockage caused the water, which normally would have drained away to find it's way back into our cellar via the old sink system.

"So, although not the miracle we originally thought there is nevertheless a lot of history tied up with this problem which caused quite a stir when it first surfaced in the local papers and on TV news back in mid-March.

"Regrettably, our dreams of bottled 'Trinity Mineral Water' have had to be deferred indefinitely!" said Mr Kemp.