‘When will sewage in garden issue be fixed?’
RESIDENTS are urging Severn Trent to fix a problem that sees sewage regularly “bubbling up” into their gardens when it rains.
Several properties in Lubbesthorpe Road, Braunstone Town, are affected.
Ayesha Saeed’s garage and surrounding area has flooded with sewage and toilet paper five times since December 28.
She said she contacted Severn Trent each time and its staff cleaned the property.
But she said: “When are Severn Trent going to sort the issue? I keep having to call them out but they are not sorting what is causing the problem.
“There’s more than one blockage and the problem will keep happening if they are not all sorted.”
Neighbour Geoff Barrett has not had sewage in his garden but said he is affected by the smell and is concerned for his neighbours.
He said his drain fills up on a regular basis and he fears that the problem is pushing up the manhole cover further down the road.
Elizabeth Curtis-Kearney, 45, said she feels trapped in her own home when her property is flooded with sewage, toilet paper and excrement.
She said she has been told by Severn Trent it is not a priority because the problem is outside her house.
She said she could not step out of the house to go to the garage or put the rubbish out during the flooding.
“Both entrances of our home are blocked by sewage. We’re also living in fear of it happening again,” Mrs Curtis-Kearney said.
“We have spent so much time and energy clearing up previous instances, for them to reoccur, and are left feeling frustrated, angry and upset.”
She said Severn Trent did clean the property on one occasion, after she saw them cleaning the garage at a neighbour’s home.
The company also came out on Wednesday to undertake a “thorough cleanse of the property.”
Mrs Curtis-Kearney said: “We just want to know when sewage will stop bubbling up in our gardens. Severn Trent told us the blockage to the main sewer has now been cleared.
“However, there is still a residual amount of fats in the sewer pipe running at the back of the houses. Until this is cleared, there is still a risk of this happening again.”
Alex Cooney, waste team manager at Severn Trent, said: “Our team attended the site and cleared a blockage which we believe was the source of the flooding.
“We will be returning to complete a full cleanse of the network as soon as we can to make sure the blockage is fully removed.
“Customers’ properties should be fully cleaned and disinfected following any flooding incident and we are very sorry this has not been completed to a satisfactory standard at this address. Our team will be in touch with the affected householder to remedy this as soon as possible.”