A pensioner had to survive on microwave meals and freezer food for over a week after a sewage leak caused severe damage to her kitchen and hallway. Ellie*, a Hammersmith and Fulham council tenant, was also not able to use her washing machine because it would overflow with filthy sewage water "every day".
Ronald and Toni Todd, Ellie's son and daughter-in-law immediately reported the leak when it occurred on February 22, but claim they received very little help from the council. They worried for their mother's wellbeing as she had to wear a facemask in her home because the smell made her nauseous.
The couple, who visit Ellie twice a day, claimed the complaint "fell on deaf ears". The family could not understand why the leak was not considered an emergency and say they are now seeking compensation, reports My London.
At the time of publication, the council told MyLondon it had to "overcome access issues" to be able to source and fix the leak, and that works had begun on Wednesday (March 2).
"Everybody needs clean clothes, you can't use that [washing machine] again. I'm pushing to get it all replaced," Toni added. " It's gone on long enough, it's destroying all of her stuff. She keeps all of her pots, pans, cleaning bits and pieces but now, she's had to throw things away. It's not fair because everything is contaminated, the saucepans are contaminated and the bottoms of them are too. We need compensating for all of this."
Toni said Ellie has been "really fed up", and that the impact of the leak has already taken a toll on her mental health. The family also say that no matter how much they mop and clean in a day, the sewer water just returns. They also claimed this is not the first time Ellie, who has lived in her maisonette for around 40 years, has encountered a sewage leak. Her son Ronald claims sewer water has infested the property multiple times in both 2020 and 2021.
Ronald said: " They're [the council] taking so long to deal with, whereas before it happened, they dealt with it a lot quicker. But when you call them up it’s falling on deaf ears. They're giving us the same answers, nothing at all." Toni and Ronald rejected the council's offer to move Ellie into an emergency hostel because it was out of the borough and they say she is a vulnerable tenant.
On Tuesday (March 1), a contractor visited Ellie's property to fix the leak. However, the family were told by the contractor that they needed to access one of the garages near Ellie's home on Wednesday morning (March 2).
Ronald believes the sewer water is coming from residents in the upstairs properties. " People are upstairs in their flats so every time they go to the toilet or have a shower, that's when it happens," he said. Toni added that this leaves Ellie petrified to use her own shower, "in case it comes up again and up the pipes and into the kitchen, it's absolutely ridiculous what has gone on".
Toni added: "She's 76, she's worked all her life and for what, for this? It's so unfair."
A spokesperson for Hammersmith and Fulham Council said: "We are very aware of the situation faced by Ellie at her flat. Having now overcome access issues to enable us to reach the source of the problem, works have been undertaken today to repair the fault and we apologise to her for the delay in completing these."
*Some names have been changed as an individual has asked for anonymity
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