Ashford couple Sam and Lee Clayson's home flooded with raw sewage eight times
00:01, 19 April 2015
A desperate family claim they have spent hundreds of pounds replacing furniture and belongings as their house has flooded with raw sewage - eight times.
Sam Clayson and her husband Lee, both 26, say the flooding, mould and sewage problems have caused endless grief and even health problems in the family.
Mum-of-two Sam said they are at their wits end and spend all their time “waiting for the next flood” in their flat in Newtown.
She said: “Before I moved in I was told the problems would all be fixed, but five years later, they are still causing us trouble.
“The last time it happened we had been to my sister’s for dinner and we came home to find the kitchen, hallway and bathroom two inches deep in dirty water and raw sewage.
“The council didn’t send a cleaner out for three days and we had to live in the front room.
“It was horrible and caused a lot of damage to everything. I had to throw so much out.”
Mrs Clayson, mum to Harmony, five, and Payton, two, also said that just months later, the flat was flooded again with smelly, dirty water and raw sewage.
She said: “Just a week ago, sewage was coming out from the kitchen sink so we are forever just waiting for the next time we get a bad flood, because there’s always a next time.
“It comes out of the sink, the washing machine, the bath, the dishwasher, and I have had to replace everything.
"Living like this is horrible, just knowing everything is going to get ruined again and we’ve spent so much money repeatedly replacing furniture..." - Sam Clayson
“Living like this is horrible, just knowing everything is going to get ruined again and we’ve spent so much money repeatedly replacing furniture that we’ve got rent arrears.
“We would love to find a new flat and just get out but my husband can only get part-time work.
“How can we pay our rent arrears, and the normal rent and get somewhere new? We can’t.”
Mrs Clayson claims the ongoing issues are causing serious health problems for both her daughters, including lung and asthma problems.
She said: “Payton spent a weekend in hospital because her left lung had collapsed. They are both being tested for asthma and doctors think Payton is allergic to the mould too.”
A spokesman for Ashford Borough Council confirmed it has been in touch with the couple about the ongoing problems on numerous occasions and believes the source of the problem is from the surrounding flats.
He added: “Experts that we have paid to inspect the cause of the issue confirm it is caused by fats and oils blocking the waste pipe.
“We are therefore liaising with other tenants in the block as the issue looks to have been caused by other tenants in the building.
“We have been extremely proactive in organising and paying for deep cleans to the affected property.
“We will continue to work with the tenants to resolve this issue.
“In relation to mould, we have advised the couple on how to reduce this within the property.”