Lucy Fowles and her husband Darren have been subjected to living in squalor for the last year with dirty toilet water from the overflowing back garden cesspit swamping their house.
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Unable to even drink or use water from the taps, the couple have no choice but to rely on H2O bottles to feed and clean their three autistic kids.
Disabled Lucy, who is recovering from a botched Cesarean stitch-up a few years ago, has been struck down with Pneumonia for the thirteenth time.
She now believes she has contracted Emphysema too because of conditions in the three-bed council house in Ware, Hertfordshire.
Shocking images taken by The Sun show pools of water gushing into the garden from the un-regulated cesspit.
Murky brown liquid can also be seen covering the kitchen floor – causing damage which has left the Fowles’ without a cooking space since September last year.
Lucy told The Sun: “We had sewage backing up into our taps. There is no guttering in the back garden and it’s the same level as our kitchen so everything was flooding it.
“The mess was unbelievable, the sewage filled the home and we couldn’t drink from the tap.
“Our cesspit in the back garden does not have a pump or a filter. The house really started to smell and then we realised.
“We can constantly smell sewage now, even after trying to clear it up.
“The council is just giving us bottles of water, they are refusing to put us anywhere.
“Me and my husband thought it was unacceptable. I’m disabled, we have three autistic children. It’s really unsettling for them.
“It ruined my mobility scooter where it flooded the downstairs toilet and the whole area.
“I contracted pneumonia 12 times at our old house because of the mould and the council eventually put us in this property.
“I think I have contracted it again as well as Emphysema now because of the issues with this house. I keep getting bacterial infections.”
Lucy found water levels in the property, managed by Sovereign Network Group, also tested positive for lead.
She added: “I had to order test kits myself to test the water and there’s lead in there and the council aren’t willing to do anything about it.
“They should be copper pipes but the water has now tested positive for lead.
“We’ve had no kitchen since September because of the amount of water damage. There are holes all around our house.
“My council has been useless at doing absolutely anything.”
A spokesperson for Sovereign Network Group (SNG) said contractors visited the Fowles’ family home where they emptied and cleaned the cesspit before offering an environmental clean.
Gerry Doherty, SNG’s Executive Director of Operations, said: “The sewage and fresh water supplies are not connected, and independent tests by Affinity Water alongside inspections from our own surveyors and engineers show that the tap water in our customer’s home is safe to use and free from contamination.
“We have given Affinity Water’s report to our customer for their peace of mind.
“On the same day our customer reported a problem with the sewage system, our contractors visited and found a fault with the foul pumping station.
“This was promptly fixed and the cesspit emptied and cleaned. We offered our customer a full environmental clean of their home but this was turned this down with our customer telling us it was not needed.”
What is Pneumonia?
What is pneumonia?
According to the NHS, pneumonia is inflammation of the lungs, usually caused by an infection.
Most people get better in a couple of weeks but babies, older people and those with heart or lung conditions are at higher risk.
Sometimes, treatment may involved hospitalisation.
What causes pneumonia?
It can be caused by a fungal infection but according to the NHS, this is rare in the UK.
It may also be caused by something getting into your lungs, such as water or food.
What are the symptoms?
- A cough
- Shortness of breath
- A high temperature
- Chest pain
- An aching body
- Feeling very tired
- Loss of appetite
- Making wheezing noises when you breathe
- Feeling confused
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