Horrified residents in a Carshalton housing estate have spoken of their disgust after a river of faeces spewed out of a drain belonging to a community centre.
On Sunday, October 3, a torrent of “foul-smellling”, dark-coloured water starting cascading out of the Budge Lane Community Centre in the Wandle Valley estate.
The revolting raw sewage poured on to the pavement and into a nearby children’s play area.
Parents are deeply concerned the sewage could be hepatitis B-infected as the community centre is used for drug and alcohol rehabilitation.
Reports claimed some children were having to wade through the vile slush on their way to school on Monday.
Vans from Thames Water and the Environment Agency could be seen outside the centre until Tuesday morning.
Resident Laura Tamworth admitted the final straw came when she heard maintenance workers bragging about how much money they were earning.
She said: “I’ve really come to the end of my tether as this had been going on for a year and no matter how many people are working, it never gets fixed.
“But the thing that really grates is hearing workmen boasting about how much overtime they earn. As much as £200 a day for work that should’ve been completed months ago.”
To add insult to injury London and Quadrant Housing Association, who run the estate, sent out a letter prior to the leak admitting to sewage problems and conceding the situation might not be resolved for another three or four weeks.
Another resident Sally Morris said: “The sewage up surge has been occurring on and off for well over a year now, but more recently over the past couple of months.
“We are also looking to seek advice from Enviromental Health and backing from our MP as this is not only an unsightly mess, but poses a serious health risk.
“I have a teenage daughter and there are many children living on the estate who are unwittingly walking through this waste and walking it into their own homes.”
A spokesman for the housing association said: “We are fully aware of the issues on this estate and are sorry for the inconvenience and concern this is causing our residents.
“We have been faced with continued problems due to vandalism and unsuitable materials being put down the drains, which is burning the sewage pumps out.
“A temporary pump is currently in place and we have two brand new pumps and new control systems on the way which will resolve the issue.”
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