London family tells of trauma after sewage flood destroyed home

A father has told how his family's home was "completely destroyed" after it was flooded by sewage.

David Benqué had to wade through sewage which had "gushed through the window" after a pipe burst near their basement flat in Crystal Palace in September.

He said he was not offered support from Thames Water after their home and belongings were ruined.

Thames Water said it understood how distressing sewer flooding was and it was investigating the case.

"It has been a traumatic few months," Dr Benqué said. "Almost six months after the flood, we are still dealing with the aftermath."

A sewage pipe burst outside the family's flat in Anerley Park on 14 September flooding the property with sewage.

Dr Benqué said he could "hear and smell the sewage" which was "gushing through our window" at about 07:00 GMT, and had under five minutes to wake his two children, aged three and five, and "grab a few things".

"My wife had to carry out our three-year-old and wade through the water which was nearly at her waist. She had to have help from a firefighter as she was walking towards the current."

About 25 firefighters attended the scene, London Fire Brigade said.

"Water flooded the lower ground floors of three semi-detached houses converted into flats up to a depth of one metre," a spokesman said.

Four adults and two children were rescued, they added.

Dr Benqué said he had to pay £1,500 to remove any remaining belongings and £15,000 to rent a new property and buy essentials.

He said he felt Thames Water had shown a "lack of humanity and accountability", adding that there had been "no acknowledgment and no sorry. It's like we don't even exist."

"Our children still talk about the flood and 'poo water' on a daily basis. They were made homeless and Thames Water did absolutely nothing about it," he said.

Thames Water said: "We understand how distressing sewer flooding is and we sympathise with anyone affected.

"Our customer team is working to establish the details of Dr Benqué's case and what the next steps will be."