Residents face 'river of sewage' after garden leak

Up to four inches of drain water has leaked into the gardens of two properties

A drain leak which has created what has been described as a "river of sewage" is being investigated by Severn Trent Water.

Elsie Beaumont, who owns one of the affected properties on Blackberry Lane in Coventry, said: "The smell is absolutely awful."

She said the water company had been contacted on Thursday once it became clear the fault could not be cleared by a plumber.

Severn Trent said it had an engineer on site, looking into the cause of the problem.

Mrs Beaumont's tenant, Roger, told BBC Coventry and Warwickshire he was alerted by a neighbour.

"When I walked out there there was this awful smell and I could see the sewage in my garden," he said.

He said he was worried about the surrounding area being contaminated.

Elsie Beaumont and her tenant, Roger, said there was an "awful smell"

Mrs Beaumont said she stopped a man from walking through the water.

She added: "I don't know what it's going to take to get rid of the mess, how far down we're going to have to go to try and clear some of it."