Swindon gardens flooded with sewage

Gardens in a Swindon street have been flooded with raw sewage for more than a week because the water company for the area cannot find a blockage in a drain.

The seeping sewage in Elliot Close, Liden, has left gardens waterlogged and stinking since 27 April.

Thames Water apologised to families in the street and said it hoped to do a CCTV survey "within the next couple of days" to locate the source.

Resident Sandra Hunt said the smell was "out of this world".

Thames Water has been removing the sewage in a tanker until the source can be found.

'Bubbling up'

But Mrs Hunt said: "Within an hour we are back to where it usually is.

"By the time everyone uses their showers, toilets and sinks, it automatically comes down and comes bubbling up from our little drain."

A Thames Water spokeswoman said: "We want to apologise to the Hunt family and their neighbours who have had to deal with this.

"Sewer flooding is a really horrible experience and we're really, really sorry they've had to put up with it.

"We've got a blocked drain but it's not a case that we've lost it.

"Last October water companies took on the private sewer network that was previously owned by householders... which means we are still learning where everything goes and we are finding out as problems occur what the situation is.

"Since last week we have been tankering away the sewage to try to prevent the situation getting any worse.

"But the situation over the weekend with the heavy rain has meant the tankering we've been doing hasn't been enough and for that we are really sorry."

She said tankers were now removing sewage twice daily.