Melanie McMahon has had to repeatedly call out council contractors to unblock the drains in her garden
Melanie McMahon, whose garden has been flooded with sewage(Image: Simon Greener/Newcastle Chronicle)
A Walker mum has described being left with sewage on her windows, garden furniture and washing as a “nightmare”. Melanie McMahon, 41, previously had to have her garden dug up and reconstructed after concrete in the drains underneath caved in and caused flooding almost ten years ago.
When a contractor went out to her council house in May this year, he discovered that the concrete had caved again and she would need her garden reconstructed for the second time. Since March, Melanie says she has lost count of how many times she has called the council to unblock her drains and says at one point she was ringing them “every other day”.
She said: “At first it was just water, and it was flooding all the back garden so I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve asked them to come out and unblock the drains. You could just leave the water to drain down itself but eventually the sewage would come up and you could see it bubbling around the manhole.
“Now, when they pump the sewage to unblock them, it comes up and floods the back garden and it’s disgusting.”
Sewage bubbling up from a drain in Melanie McMahon’s garden(Image: Melanie McMahon)
The mum-of-four has found stepping into her own garden during this week’s warm weather unbearable due to the overpowering smell of sewage. She said: “On Sunday I rang them again because I could see the sewage coming from the manhole.
“There were flies all over. I can’t have the windows open, I can’t let the dogs or the kids in the garden because it stinks.”
When contractors came on Monday, Melanie claims that they “dragged” her £400 inflatable hot tub across the garden, causing it to break; and that toilet tissue and sewage has splashed onto her windows, plants, garden furniture and even washing that was on the line.
Melanie’s hot tub, which she says contractors dragged across the garden and damaged(Image: Simon Greener/Newcastle Chronicle)
Melanie, who is a full-time carer for her seven-year-old son, said: “It’s not good for your health. I feel like I’m banging my head off a brick wall.
“The state they left it in on Monday, I burst into tears when I cleared it up because it was horrendous. You can still see bits of toilet paper splattered on the windows.
“I just wanted rid of the smell because it’s been so warm. It’s not done me or the kids any good, they’ve not been able to play in the garden, it’s just been a nightmare.”
Melanie McMahon in her garden(Image: Simon Greener/Newcastle Chronicle)
ChronicleLive understands that digging up a drain for a blockage is rare on an early visit, which has contributed to a delay in the works. However, Newcastle City Council have since agreed with Melanie that a full repair will begin on Monday.
A Newcastle City Council spokesperson said: “We apologise for any inconvenience this issue may have caused to Ms McMahon. We continue to be committed to improving the speed and quality of our repair services for all residents.
“The issue was first reported to us in 2022, and we have carried out various unblocking procedures since then. After a CCTV survey of the drain in May this year, we passed the repair to one of our contractors to resolve.
“As part of recent improvements to our repairs service, we have appointed additional contractors to help us improve completion times of outstanding repairs. This allowed us to reallocate the work to a newly appointed contractor with greater capacity to respond.
“Our contractor was on site today and has confirmed plans to carry out a full repair on Monday. Due to the nature of the work, which requires excavation, it was agreed by all parties that beginning the repair on Monday morning would ensure the job is completed safely and with minimal disruption.
“We have spoken directly with the resident and can confirm that they are aware of the arrangements in place and are happy with this. If any damage has occurred as a result of the repair issue, the resident is entitled to make an insurance claim to cover any associated costs.”