Studham woman's garden flooded with sewage for eighth time

A woman who said her garden had been flooded with sewage eight times has called on a water company to keep drains clear.

Lorraine Colligan, who lives in Studham, near Luton, said raw sewage was "spewing" in her garden after a drain overflowed on Friday.

She said despite contacting Thames Water, a clean-up team had not arrived.

Thames Water apologised for the delay and said a crew should have visited the property earlier.

Ms Colligan said she had lived in the property for 11 years and sewage had appeared in the garden eight times.

"There's sludge, toilet roll and obviously other sewage things," she said.

"When it happens I just get filled with dread because it's a health hazard and it really worries me.

"It's not good for anyone and everybody around here can smell it."

Ms Colligan said when a drain cleaner previously visited the property, the drain was "filled up with baby wipes and tarmac after a road was resurfaced".

She said she had been told the issue was occurring as the drain was at the end of the circuit.

"If they can't renew all the drains then could they as least do some regular maintenance to keep it clear," she said.

Thames Water said a blockage had been found in the area and it would be cleared and a team would be visiting her "as quickly as possible".

A spokeswoman said: "We're sorry for the delay in clearing Ms Colligan's garden.

"We know how unpleasant this can be and we've escalated this as a matter of urgency.

"We visited the area on Tuesday following further reports of flooding at a neighbour's property and our engineer found a blockage containing fats, oils, greases and wet wipes.

"They will be conducting a sewer clean to help prevent further issues and clear any other debris found in the sewer network."

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