Tampons, baby wipes and used toilet paper were left strewn along a Salford street after downpours led to a 'flow of faeces'. Neighbours along part of Marlborough Road, in Irlam, had to deal with flooding following last month's storms.
But it wasn't just rainwater that they had to contend with, as 'raw sewage' flowing from a grid left residents having to dodge unsavoury items as they walked through the street and their front lawns. "You couldn't come down here without a facemask," said John Roberts, 65, whose daughter lives on the street.
"The stench was something terrible." Residents on Marlborough Road aren't sure why sewage has flown along the street, but last month's incident was not the first.
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Salford Council believes the problem stems from a sewage pipe, where United Utilities says there had been a blockage. It's an issue which has taken place on a number of occasions over the past three years, usually after a downpour, John says.
Vasoulla Davies, 38, lives on the street with her young family in a rented property - including her youngest, who is 18 months old. She told the Manchester Evening News: "We had sanitary towels floating about. That's just 'angin."
When the issue last occurred in June, Vasoulla says sewage entered part of the home where the electrics are, while the flooding left the family with a 'moving floor'. "It's bouncing when we walk on it," she said.
"The landlady is devastated." Vasoulla was concerned about the amount of time it was taking for sewage to be cleaned up from the street, and she urged whoever was responsible to get the issue resolved once and for all.
She added: "If it's the council, come and get it fixed. If it's United Utilities, come and get it fixed. Stop making the neighbours worry about it."
The experience of flooding on June 12 was so bad for Scott Buckley, he was worried about a repeat of it while going on holiday later in the week. The 30-year-old, who moved to the street last November, bought sandbags to stop sewage entering his home and kept them there while he was away.
"We went away on the June 16 and we were worried about something happening," he said. "The neighbours were saying how they've ended up with sewage in the house.
"It's the worry of any permanent damage. We ended up leaving the sandbags there until we got back."
Scott says he knew something was wrong when he heard his toilet 'gargling'. Outside, there was 'raw sewage' and 'toilet paper everywhere'.
Ben Southern is another relatively new face on the street, having moved into his home last March. The 31-year-old spent thousands doing work on his property - including a new driveway, which was left covered in faeces and tampons following the storm.
"Coming home to see your driveway is a swimming pool of s*** isn't really that great," he said. "I had to jet wash it the day after.
"When it rained it was bad, you could smell it, it was awful - especially in the heat we've been having. They need to dig up the road - as much as it would be an inconvenience for how many month they were doing it, in the long run it would be 10 times better."
Audrey Woods, who has lived on the street for 13 years, has seen sewage spill on the road 'about four or five times' in the past few years. She spent hundreds of pounds on her front garden a few years ago, but now says she doesn't do much to it because of the flooding.
Audrey said: "The garden was flooded - completely and utterly flooded with tissue, baby wipes, sanitary towels and sewage. It's absolutely horrendous."
'Pure sewage' was left on parts of the street for 'about four days' after last month's storm, Audrey says. She added: "It was there for about four days.
"It was smelling to high heaven. I can't tell you how bad it was, it was so smelly." Audrey was particularly concerned about the hygiene of people walking through the sewage as they went into their homes.
Both Salford City Council and United Utilities are aware of the issue, with the water board insisting it will inspect the sewer which is believed to be causing the problem. A United Utilities spokesperson said: "We attended Marlborough Road on several occasions in June to carry out clean-ups following reports of flooding.
“We thank residents for alerting us to issues as they occur and will continue to attend to these reports. An initial inspection of the sewer found a mass blockage, made up of items such as baby wipes and sanitary products, which was removed.
"We will be carrying out a CCTV inspection to check for any further issues. We urge people to only flush the three Ps - pee, poo and (toilet) paper - to help prevent blockages in pipes, drains and sewers.”
Coun Mike McCusker, lead member for planning, transport and sustainable development on Salford City Council, added: “We are aware of the issue and are working with United Utilities to find a solution for residents. We believe the problem is a sewage and foul water pipe which is the responsibility of United Utilities.
“During storm deluges any drainage system can be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of rain falling in a short space of time.“
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