Sewage nightmare

After years of pleading for help Annaray Hulbert says she is looking forward to remedial work by NI Water starting today which will alleviate the problem.

Ms Hulbert, who lives at Lapwing Way with her two sons, said she first contacted the Water Service in the summer of 2006 when she became aware that raw sewage was backing up into her home. Northern Ireland Water has revealed that following investigations last week 'a defect' in the sewer has been identified and work to alleviate got underway on Wednesday.

"The very first flood destroyed my decking, the children's toys and came into the house. We had to lift wooden floors and get rid of everything in the house. Alderman William Hay came out and itemised everything as it was put into a skip, and over the years we estimate that we have lost around 34,000 in belongings to this sewage leak," said the distraught woman.

"Because I own my own house I have had to do all this work myself, and in 2007, the day before we were due to go on a family holiday to Spain, there was a flood and the backlog of sewage from the entire row of houses burst through the whole house, went up into the bathroom, and moved the toilet so that the pipes burst. The sewage ran down through the house because the floor gave way. I put a new floor down, put lino on top of it and it happened again in 2008," Ms Hulbert said.

The next time it happened, again in 2008, during the height of the summer, Ms Hulbert said she lost all her belongings once more, and the washing machine and cooker blew up a week after, due to the moisture in her home.

"The electrician said we were living in a death trap and he wrote a report which resulted in us getting a visit by the Fire Brigade. They wrote a report and gave it to my solicitors to give to the Water Authority.

Because a loss adjuster got involved in 2008 we were unable to move anything that was damaged, so we had no use of the garden for a year and four months because it was piled high with everything from skirting boards to doors, bed linen, the toys. Everything we owned was in that garden, and we ended up getting complaints and the Fire Service was called out because it was alleged it was a fire hazard," she said.

In the middle of arrangements to have the rubbish removed, Ms Hulbert said the water authority asked to be able to inspect the damaged property a second time, but Ms Hulbert's solicitor refused.

"I am just paying out constantly because of this sewage, and now I have used every penny of my life savings trying to keep a clean roof over our heads. I have nothing left for my two sons' university education.

"It's not just my house, either..."

She added: "Anyone could phone the carpet man and he would be able to tell you the dimensions of my house because he has had to refit my house so often. It is a standing joke. Between the fumes of the sewage and my obsession with bleach you could not stand in my hallway today," she said.

Ms Hulbert said that at the moment the back hall and utility room on the property have no roof, while there is no skirting in the front room because Ms Hulbert has run out of money. The roof has been missing since 2008.

Each time the sewage has leaked into her home she has had to have her house rewired.

In a statement on Monday a spokesperson for NI Water said: "NI Water did receive a complaint of internal flooding in Lapwing Way on Wednesday, May 12, 2010.

"NI Water staff attended the incident. A blockage was cleared in a manhole to the rear of the property alleviating the internal flooding.

"NI Water initiated an investigation to establish the cause of the blockage and carried out a CCTV investigation of the sewer on Friday, May 14, 2010. This investigation has identified a defect in the sewer. Work to repair this defect has now been planned for Wednesday, May 19, 2010.

"NI Water would like to ask for the public's assistance in reducing blockages by not placing inappropriate items in the toilet, down a drain or into the sewers. Wastewater Treatment Works and sewerage systems are not designed to deal with items such as cotton buds, nappies, sanitary items, baby wipes and condoms.

"These can cause major blockages which may result in flooding and sewage leaks."

Contacted by The Sentinel, Alderman Joe Miller said Ms Hulbert had been "subjected to an ongoing problem with sewage flooding her home".

"I have contacted the relevant authority about this problem. After this length of time it needs to be sorted. This woman and her children cannot continue to live like this," he said.

His comments were echoed by Party colleague, William Hay, who said it was "unacceptable for anyone to have to live with sewage leaking into their home".