Soiled water with human faeces has been plaguing a family for 17 years, leading to poo and dirty toilet paper being left strewn on the driveway after water has been washed away. A reported water issue means that whenever it rains, the family worry that the driveway will be flooded with soiled water.
Rob Shephard, 55, says the persistent flooding at his parents' home in Aintree, Liverpool is the basis of a dispute with water company United Utilities. Dad Alf, 88, and mum Jean, 85, have lived at the property on Altway since 1974.
The soiled water flooding the driveway has been an issue since 2006, however for the past 18 months, the flooding appears to have abated, much to the surprise of Rob. The cause of the flooding has been a contentious topic that has been disputed by United Utilities, reports Liverpool Echo.
The Shephards believe that the flooding is the result of non-return valves being installed in 2005 to prevent flooding in another part of the area, with the water overflowing just months after the valves were fitted. However, United Utilities said, "historical works in the area are not causing the flooding".
United Utilities says it has been in regular contact with the affected residents regarding the "distressing issue". The water provider says it is "committed to exploring solutions to the flooding."
Rob said: "We've lived here since 1974 and it never flooded before 2006. We could get a valve fitted privately but it would then just potentially pass the problem onto our neighbour and cause them to flood.
"We've not flooded for 18 months but we don't know why we haven't flooded. I stayed here last night (Thursday, January, 5) I was worried the entire time that it was going to flood with the heavy rain."
A spokesperson for United Utilities said: “We have been in regular contact with the residents of a property on Altway regarding the distressing issue of recurring flooding to their driveway and garden, with the most recent event reported to us in July 2021. Our latest meeting with the residents was in December 2022, where we again explained that the historical works in the area are not causing flooding to the property.
“As well as carrying out cleaning and CCTV surveys of the sewers, we have installed our state-of-the-art digital monitors to gather data on how they are operating. This information is providing us with valuable insight into the performance of the sewer network and any issues that need to be resolved.
"The monitors haven’t highlighted any issues since they were installed, and we will continue to review this data and share the reports with the customer through our regular updates to him. We are committed to exploring solutions to the flooding, and are doing this with a view of the level of risk and cost-effectiveness of any potential intervention.
"Again, we will keep in touch with the customer regarding any appropriate mitigations that are suggested through our modelling and analysis. We will also continue to attend as a matter of urgency following any reported flooding, and have offered to carry out driveway enhancements as a goodwill gesture.”
Although the water company has offered to complete work on the driveway, Rob explained that it wouldn't be feasible due to his parents' ages, with his dad being 88 and his mum being 85. He added: "I think it's harder now my parents have got older as well.
"The last time it flooded I got a phone call asking me what to do. But I can't do anything because I work in Cambridge.
"When they were younger it was something they could get over. When the water washes away the faeces and toilet roll are left on the ground."
