Sponsored by
Residents swamped by flood of sewage
NEIGHBOURS who woke to find raw sewage outside their homes have been told by water bosses the problem will not be fixed for a year.
Nine families in King's Avenue, Seaburn, face cleaning excrement from their homes and gardens after sewage gushed from a manhole cover on Dykelands Road during yesterday morning's storm.
At its worst, the sewage was a foot deep at the seafront homes.
But although Northumbrian Water admits there is a problem, the firm says that it cannot be solved straight away.
The Parkins' home was one of the worst affected, with the ground-floor carpets sodden with sewage.
Dad Andrew Parkin, 47, said: "It's a disgrace. We have lived here 12 years and have had floods before, but never this bad.
"I woke up at about four and saw the sewage. We put a flood defence across the drive, but it came through the air-bricks and under the floorboards.
"We were on the phone to the water board from 4.30am this morning, then at 6.30am they turned the pump on and the levels dropped."
Andrew, who lives with wife June, said: "The smell is horrible and the flooring is all going to have to be ripped up. But it's not just that, we have three grandchildren – what about the health implications?"
Residents say that the problem has been ongoing, with the street flooding to a lesser extent just three weeks ago.
They are hoping that the devastation caused by the most recent incident will spur Northumbrian Water into action.
But worried mum Claire Royal fears it may take somebody falling ill from the sewage before the issue is addressed.
The 27-year-old, who is mum to Jack, five, and Liam, two, said: "We woke up this morning and it was all through the garden and in the kids' toys, which are going to have to be thrown away.
"Last time, it happened it took the council eight days to send someone round to disinfect the garden. It's disgusting."
Claire, who lives with partner Craig Wilkinson, said: "Liam is in and out of hospital at the minute because he isn't eating so his immune system is low.
"I'm worried that he could pick something up from this. I don't know what we pay our water rates for because nothing is being done."
Fulwell councillor John Walton said: "It's quite disgraceful. This is not the first time this has happened, but although Northumbrian Water have told residents they have identified a problem they can't fix it until funds become available.
"Why should residents and families with children have their homes flooded with raw sewage?"
Local businessman Bob Latimer said he had also had reports of sewage floods in Roker Park and Dame Dorothy Street because of the storm.
Northumbrian Water spokesman Alistair Baker said they hope to work with other agencies to correct the problem and that they have been helping residents with the clean up.
"We we are working on the finer details of an improvement scheme which we hope to put into effect in the financial year 2009 / 2010. This will be a substantial scheme costing a six-figure sum," he said.
"In the meantime, we appreciate how distressing flooding can be, particularly when it enters inside properties.
"Severe summer storms are increasingly prevalent causing problems throughout the area and as a company we have to prioritise work and do what we can, when we can with the funding that's available."
He added: "We have recently undertaken a CCTV survey in that area to check the integrity of the network and will be carrying out further investigation.
"We appreciate this can cause anger and frustration but we assure customers in that area that we are doing what we can and are looking at a future scheme which we hope will further protect them against flooding."
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Sunderland
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Heavy sleet
Temperature: 1 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Light sleet showers
Temperature: -0 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: South
