(Image: UGC)
A family say they have been forced to endure months of sewage spills, foul odours and a huge excavation in their garden after a collapsed sewer was discovered beneath their property.
Laura Young, who lives with her partner James and their eight-month-old daughter Gracie in Shipley, said the ordeal began on June 14 when the couple returned home to find sewage seeping from their back garden onto the driveway.
"We'd been out and when we came back we noticed something seeping from the back garden onto the driveway," Ms Young said. "When we went round the back, the sewer had backed up all over our garden."
An emergency drainage contractor was called out at a cost of £180 after the issue emerged on a weekend.
The contractor cleared the blockage as best he could but warned there appeared to be a larger problem within the sewer network.
'All of the human waste goes all over our garden'
Yorkshire Water attended the following day and identified what Laura said was a collapsed sewer pipe.
The family claim they were told repairs would be arranged within two weeks, but say they are still waiting for the issue to be fully resolved more than 14 weeks later.
During that time, Ms Young says sewage repeatedly backed up into their garden.
"Because when it backs up, all of the human waste goes all over our garden...we got told we weren't allowed to even go in the garden because obviously it's sewage waste."
'We can't even open the windows'
Laura said the impact has extended beyond the garden, with the smell of sewage affecting daily life inside the house.
She said: "We can't even open the windows because the smell of the raw sewage is that pungent, if I'm stood in the kitchen, I can smell it through the drainage. It's rancid. We've got flies everywhere.
"It's close to uninhabitable because we're just avoiding areas of the house."
Family criticises communication and delays
Ms Young said the family has contacted Yorkshire Water several times a week since June and has become increasingly frustrated by what she describes as poor communication.
The family also claim complaints were closed without their knowledge despite the issue remaining unresolved.
According to Ms Young, contractors eventually began work this month, but a large excavation remains in the garden.
She said: "We've literally got a massive crater in the garden now. It's probably six foot deep and around four metres wide. It's just full of sewage and because all the drains are connected, it's everybody's waste."
Yorkshire Water apologises
A spokesperson for Yorkshire Water said: "We apologise for this customer's experience.
"This work has taken longer than it should have.
"We're actively managing the incident and ensuring appropriate oversight so that clean-up activities continue where required, communication improves, and the permanent repair is completed as soon as is possible."
The company said a collapsed sewer had been identified and acknowledged that several factors had contributed to delays, including communication issues and access requirements needed for repairs.
Yorkshire Water added that excavation work had been completed and that sewer replacement works were progressing.
The company also acknowledged that clean-up visits following sewage escapes had not taken place as frequently as the customer would have liked.
'It just feels like nobody is listening'
For Laura, the prolonged disruption has overshadowed what should have been an exciting first summer in the family's new home.
"I'm just really angry, to be honest, because nothing ever seems to be getting sorted," she said.
"I think currently 15 weeks is absolutely ridiculous.
"We can't enjoy our new home, we can't enjoy our garden, and we're constantly stressed.
"It just feels like nobody is listening."