Pensioners left with sewage mess (From Stroud News and Journal)

Pensioners left with sewage mess

A PENSIONER who had to wade through six feet of raw sewage when a pipe burst outside his home has condemned Severn Trent and Stroud District Council for refusing to help.

He and his neighbours including an 84-year-old blind man were left without flushing toilets or baths for two days.

Stanley Pearce of Theescombe Lane, Amberley is outraged that neither the water company or the council will take responsibility for the disaster.

Mr Pearce was told the pipe pumping out excrement was a private sewer and therefore his own responsibility.

Despite repeated phone calls to Stroud District Council the elderly residents in five homes were left stranded without water so an exasperated Mr Pearce decided to roll up his sleeves and set to work on the problem himself - which meant digging through waste to get to the pipe.

Tom Owen, who owns the garden where the problem started said: "Mr Pearce had to do it all himself, with help from his son-in-law.

"I couldn't do anything because I'm 84 years old and totally blind. "I'm very grateful to him."

The problem started on Monday, December 30. "It was disgusting," said Mr Owen.

"I rang the council but they said they were closed until after New Year's Eve. "There just wasn't anyone to give me advice."

Mr Pearce, a retired policeman said it was disgraceful the council would not help a blind, elderly man.

He said: "It was a hell of a mess. Raw sewage was pumping out on to Tom's lawn and garden but they didn't want to know. "We were redirected to a Severn Trent call centre in Wolverhampton.

"But trying to get hold of these companies is like trying to find a needle in a hay stack.

"They're ready to take your money, but when something happens they won't help."

After 36 hours Mr Pearce decided to take matters in his own hands.

The Korean war veteran has experience of the building trade and his son-in-law Nicholas Wilkins helped him tackle the pipe.

Mr Pearce said: "There was a hole six feet deep full of excreta. "We had to tip that out. It's still on Tom's lawn but the pipe's running okay."

Mr Pearce said the pipe is so big it could only be a public sewer and he said he remembered district council workmen coming out to fix it years ago.

"It's under a public road - how could we own it?" said Mr Pearce.

"We will carry on complaining, but it's like banging our heads against a brick wall."

Severn Trent spokesman Caroline Hosie said the company had no responsibility for the pipe.

And Lynn Edwards, chief SDC environmental health officer, confirmed it was a private pipe.

She said: "There are an awful lot of private sewers in this district. "The people served by them are responsible for their maintenance and repair."

She said the council would have been more than happy to help the residents but had no record of their phone calls.

She promised to investigate the case to see if the council could help.

She added that normally anyone phoning the council out of hours will be given an emergency number to call for assistance.