Granddad Darrell’s backyard has been filled up so much over the last decade it is now contaminated (Picture: Solent News & Photo)
Faeces, toilet paper and raw sewage – these are the things filling up this granddad’s backyard for almost a decade.
Darrell Elford, 52, from Lymington, Hampshire, says his backyard has been filled up for nine years and so he can no longer enjoy it.
In protest, he is now refusing to pay his water bill in the hopes that action will be taken to fix it up.
It is not the first time the granddad’s backyard has been flooded out too – it has happened 20 times now.
But Darrell has been taken to court over not paying Southern Water a £2,000 bill – despite contacting them about the problem multiple times.
Darrell has been compensated £900 for the last three bouts of mess but wants additional compensation for all the other times his backyard has been destroyed.
‘I haven’t been able to use the garden. You can see bits of waste,’ he said.
He worries that his new granddaughter won’t be able to play in the backyard because of all the faeces.
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Darrell’s backyard is full of raw sewage and toilet paper (Picture: Solent News & Photo Agency)
Darrell also complained on some occasions to Southern Water and it said there is nothing it can do to help.
He said: ‘We rung them up and sent pictures and they said they would send someone round.
‘They came round and said they were going to jet wash. [The electrician] didn’t have the right equipment – all he had was a head torch.
‘The bathroom fitter said the Southern Water employee said he would return to carry out the work.
‘Now we’re at the 16th and still no one has come round to jet wash.
‘I shouldn’t have to be careful about using my own back garden. I don’t know where to go – I don’t really know what to do. You can’t seem to just get help off them.’
Darrell lives with his two adult children, enjoys his backyard and has no plans on moving away anytime soon.
A gaping hole means water has also been pouring in (Picture: Solent News & Photo Agency)
The enjoyment the backyard used to bring is no longer there (Picture: Solent News & Photo Agency)
Head of customer service Ashley Marshman said: ‘We’re very sorry to hear about the impact flooding has had on this customer over several years.
‘During and after heavy rainfall, sewers in this area can become overloaded when surface water floods into them – made worse by the presence of illegally connected private pipes into our network, a build-up of groundwater and blockages caused by items which should never be flushed down toilets or poured down sinks.
‘Our teams are investigating and tracking down the problems one by one, to help inform what improvements will help fix these issues moving forward.
‘We’re also working to help support this customer to make sure he gets any support he is entitled to after experiencing these incidents through our guaranteed standards of service.’
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