Local residents are up in arms as raw sewage still continues to pump out onto their street. (Image: Getty)
A resident of a pretty South West England village has been unable to sell her property due to raw sewage being pumped out onto her street.
Engineering work by an IT company in October 2023 has left the once stunning lane in a dire state.
Locals on Mill Lane in Limington, near Ilchester, are up in arms as the sewage continues to pump out even after all this time.
The local council is trying to ascertain who exactly is responsible for the repairs, while Wessex Water states the fault is not down to their equipment.
As such, the problem remains with resident Heidi Cecchini unable to sell her home and calling the situation an “embarrassment”.
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Works by an IT company are said to have caused this raw sewage leakage over a year ago. (Image: Getty)
Cecchini spoke with Radio Somerset and discussed her housing situation which included plans to downsize.
She said: “It’s incredibly stressful, it’s upsetting, it’s embarrassing, it affects every part of your life and people don’t want to visit.
“This shouldn’t even be an issue. It should have been fixed straight away… it should have just been sorted.”
She added her exasperation at the situation, which she described as “unbelievable,” given that it’s been going on for a year.
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Somerset is a stunning village in the UK and is home to a number of affluent homes. (Image: Getty)
“We responded as soon as we were alerted to the issue, appointing a contractor to clear gullies, carry out jetting, clear vegetation and carry out CCTV inspections to establish if the issue was related to highways drainage and therefore the responsibility of Somerset Council,” said Council.
They added: “The sewage is coming from a different location on the lane. We have fully repaired the damage we had caused and completed these repairs under supervision of the council superintendent.”
Wessex Internet, which carried out works in the area, surveyed the sewage water but said it was not responsible for the leak.
They said to the : “We did, unfortunately, damage some pipework in the lane.
“However, our investigations on-site with the council have shown this is not the source of the sewage.
“Despite extensive efforts, this is still not clear, though further investigation work is planned.”
uncovered that the sewage flow was coming from a drain cover further up the street, which appeared to be dribbling out, with videos also showing gushing water during rainfall.
Cecchini is concerned about how this dirty water could impact nearby residents’ health as she is taking care of her daughter, who was recently discharged from the hospital and suffers from a weakened immune system.
She added that her neighbour suffers from prostate cancer, leading Cecchini to reach out to authorities.
Despite her efforts, which included contacting various organisations, such as Environmental Health, which informed her that the waste is raw sewage, she says no repair work has taken place even after numerous site visits from authorities.