A MUM-OF-THREE from Salford Priors has had to put up with an untreated sewage spill in her garden for more than three weeks leaving her in tears.
Jade Dallow, who lives in an Orbit property in Perkin’s Close said she was still waiting for the unsightly mess to be cleared up despite numerous calls to and promises by the housing association landlord that it would quickly be dealt with.
She told the Observer she had been driven to distraction by the lack of accountability following an initial waste pipe blockage on September 22 that caused the flooding of her downstairs toilet and hall with effluent.
“The whole situation has been mentally draining and made me really unwell from the stress of it all. I have broken down in tears several times on the phone to Orbit as I felt I was not getting anywhere as no one was taking responsibility.
“Many times I called and requested a clean-up of the human waste and was told someone would be out within four hours but no one would turn up.
“I would chase it up later on in the day to be told ‘I’m not sure why no one came – I will raise this job again’ and again no one would attend. “This has gone on for days and days.”
The garden next to the front door became contaminated with solid waste and tissue following an investigation into the cause of the toilet blockage by a drainage services contractor, Birmingham Drain Services which was called out the day after it happened.
In the process of investigating the waste water pipe from the house to the main drain, it became damaged resulting in a spew of sewage onto the lawn every time water in the house was used.
It took over two weeks of continuous calls to Orbit and Birmingham Drain Services to finally get the broken pipe fixed on October 14. In the meantime, Jade has had to take time off work as the stress was getting too much.
She said the prolonged wait had also impacted her eight-year-old twin daughters and a 14-year-old son.
“It has affected my children. They have been staying with grandparents as they get upset having to pass human waste every time we enter our property.”
She is also constantly worried the family’s pet dog will get out when she opens the front door and tread the mess back into the house.
Although relieved the pipe has finally been mended she is still furious about the state of the lawn.
“It’s been three-and-a-half weeks now with human waste all over my front garden. The healthy and safety hazard this is causing is disgraceful and having a terrible effect on me and my children which has been devastating, mentally and physically.
“It’s like they think ‘well that’s the pipes sorted’ and just walk away now and leave me with the mess it’s caused,” she added.
The garden area of Ms Dallow’s property which has now as partially been cleared by a contractor working for Orbit Housing Group.
Furthermore, Jade said she was told by contractors that the source of the blockage was a lack of sufficient gradient of the wastewater pipe from her property to the main drain which is deeply concerning. “I am not sleeping at night as I am in constant worry my downstairs toilet will overflow again.”
When asked to comment an Orbit spokesperson said: “The welfare of customers is our priority and we are sorry for the issues that Ms Dallow has been experiencing.
“We can confirm the pipe has been repaired and we are committed to working with our contractors to complete the follow-on works to the garden as soon as possible.
“We are in regular contact with Ms Dallow and would like to thank her for her patience during this time. In the meantime, we encourage her to contact us with any questions or concerns she may have.”
At the time of going to press the Observer was informed that a contractor had been out to Ms Dallow’s property to remove the topsoil from the affected area on October 15 with a promise that they would return to complete the job the next day. See image above.
