A Nottinghamshire council home has been flooded with sewage three times in the last month, leaving a family fed up with the local authority.
Luke Towle, 34, has heavily criticised Broxtowe Borough Council for a lack of “urgency” in dealing with the “disgusting” leaks which have left the family “scared to go away from the house”.
Mr Towle, who lives with his wife, Kerry, and two children, says the floods have “damaged a lot of our children's and our belongings” and that he had to “replace all of the carpets because of the damp and water damage.
He says faulty pipework led to the first flood in early June, before two more - with the most recent flood occurring last weekend (July 8). Sewage has entered their home and ruined sentimental photos and books, the family say.
"It has got to the point now that we are scared to go away from the house - because of what could happen. But it is also disgusting what has happened to it because of the leaks, so it's not a good place to live, " Mr Towle said.
"We feel like there hasn't been enough urgency with the repairs. Even after they've said it is fixed now, it wasn't the last two times - they've not apologised or nothing."
They have been told by the landlord - Broxtowe Borough Council - that the flooding should now stop. However, the family do not trust this will be the case due to the relaxed attitude of the council after previous leaks.
A Broxtowe Borough Council spokesperson stated they take reports of leaks “seriously”, and they “understand that dealing with a leak is a difficult situation”.
"Outside of office hours we provide an out of hours service to deal with matters such as this, and will respond promptly to reports. Issues with leaks can sometimes be linked to external drainage, or pipework that is not the responsibility of the Council.
"In these situations we will liaise with external contracts and other agencies to provide a resolution to the problem. On the rare occasion where tenants are left without facilities, the Council will arrange for temporary facilities to be provided."
