Woman with health condition left with ‘disgusting’ sewage on doorstep for weeks
A vulnerable woman says she has opened her front door to find sewage, toilet rolls and ‘other stuff’ bubbling outside for weeks.
Xtal Gwinn, 40, says she has been toe-to-toe with a housing association about the issue affecting her flat complex in Cambridge since June.
Gwinn, who has an auto-immune condition, has reported the blockage with the sewage drainage system to the CHS Group but the problem has continued.
‘The blockage caused smells and there is now toilet paper and other stuff that has come all the way up to the front door. It is absolutely disgusting,’ she says.
As the sewage spills out of the drains, Gwinn says it has begun to impact her Campkin Court neighbours and is also running around the bin store.
CHS Group, which offers homes to those on a low income or who need extra support in Cambridgeshire County, says that the blocked drain outside the entrance door of Gwinn’s flat was first reported on June 23.
‘Our contractor attended on the same day and cleared the blockage; however, further works were identified to repair the drain which has been damaged by tree roots,’ a spokesperson said.
‘To complete the drain repair, part of a tree needs to be removed so that our contractors can safely carry out this work.
‘We are working with our grounds maintenance team to remove parts of the tree, and we estimate that the tree removal and drain repair will be completed week commencing July 10.
‘We have revisited Campkin Court following reports of a bad smell coming from the drain.
‘At the time of inspection, no further issues with the drain were identified. We acknowledge that tenants may feel anxious about this work, and they should continue to report their concerns to us, so that we can investigate.’
But Gwinn’s list of woes with the flat does not end there, she claims.
Her home does not have a valid gas safety certificate – proof that an engineer has done gas work, such as a safety check, at a property – even though she has flagged this with the CHS Group.
The boiler, Gwinn added, had a ‘do not use’ sticker on it from between July and September last year yet ‘it was left on and I was supposed to use it,’ she said.
‘I was absolutely in limbo. Is it safe? Do I use it?’ she added.
The CHS Group spokesperson said: ‘We carry out boiler safety checks every 12 months, and all boiler safety records are checked to ensure that the information is correct, in date and that defects are addressed in line with safety standards.
‘This includes the flats at Campkin Court which are currently in date. Tenants should contact us to report any concerns that they may have about their boilers.’
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