A Peterhead resident has criticised her housing association for how long it took drainage issues in her home to be fixed – including sewage spilling into her kitchen sink.
The mum-of-one, who did not wish to be named, has lived in the property for almost three years and first started noticing the sinks, toilets and showers taking “forever” to drain back in January.
She reported the issue to Sanctuary Scotland which recorded it as an “emergency” and said they would send out a contractor that day.
However, the issue could not be resolved because further investigation was required.
The resident said she has had to go back and forth with Sanctuary a number of times over the past couple of months – while the issue has become more and more severe.
Sewage spilling into kitchen sink at Peterhead home
This past weekend, she said the situation was “worse than ever” with sewage spilling into her front garden and kitchen sink from her own home and the neighbour’s.
“It was disgusting,” she said. “Nobody seemed to think it was an emergency. Is it acceptable to have sewage coming up your kitchen sink?
“I could cope with the water not draining away, but not the sewage. It was getting worse every time the sink or toilet was used.
“My 16-year-old son has a learning disability and I couldn’t explain it to him or why he couldn’t have a bath which is part of his routine.
“The smell outside was also horrendous so I was worried about my neighbours. It was all dragging on and on, and I knew the smell would get worse as the weather got warmer.”
Issue resolved by Scottish Water
The Peterhead resident was finally able to get an appointment booked in this month but the contractor was not willing to bring it forward when she reported the further sewage problems.
“I couldn’t live like this anymore,” she said.
Her dad ended up getting in touch with Environmental Health who advised them to contact Scottish Water.
“They came out within an hour and were able to find out what the issue was,” she continued.
“They removed a manhole cover and unblocked the drain so I no longer have sewage on the drive.
“A tree root was also found when they dug down where the water and smell was coming from, so they are going to come back to remove that too.”
She has questioned why Sanctuary did not contact Scottish Water back in January, describing the situation as “beyond a joke”.
Apology from housing association
Almost six weeks after the problem was first reported, the mum-of-one is now able to use the facilities in her home without fear of sewage spilling out.
“I was a lost cause,” she added. “I didn’t know what to do and they didn’t seem to care.”
The housing association has now apologised for the amount of time it has taken for the sewage and drainage problem to be fixed.
A spokesperson for Sanctuary Scotland said: “We are pleased this issue has now been resolved.
“While the problem was not straightforward to address, we apologise that it took longer than it should have done for work to be arranged and for the inconvenience this situation has caused.”
