'Kids are jumping in it, it's disgusting': Community in distress over sewage 'pool' on Wolverhampton estate

The sewage was first noticed by residents on March 13 when it began to seep from a drain cover near the estate carpark.

Within days the small leak had worsened, spilling used toilet paper, toilet waste and sanitary items onto the road and forming a small pool.

Residents quickly called for the issues to be fixed but claim they were passed from person to person after chasing Wolverhampton Council, Severn Trent Water and Bromford Housing Association.

Kevin Browne, aged 67, who has lived in Bromford Rise for more than 15 years, said: “It’s horrible. You can smell it in the air as soon as you get into the estate.

“It’s all raw waste, there is used toilet paper, sanitary items, nappies, all sorts of stuff in there. It’s disgusting.

“We tried Wolverhampton Council and Severn Trent, however, it’s not their issue, they said it was the housing association's responsibility to sort out.”

Kevin, who himself works in the drainage industry, said the sewage was first noticed on March 13; as of yet, nothing has been done to solve the issue.

“There are kids jumping in it, cars drive through it, and it splashes everywhere. Some people have dogs here, and you see them drinking it,” he said.

“I work in the drainage industry. I know that if it's raw sewage, it is usually seen to in around four hours, it’s a top priority. I just don’t know why it has taken so long.”

Kevin said he believes the issue may have been caused by a new car park that was put into place on the estate, and said that whilst the housing association “has been great” so far, “it should have been sorted long before now”.

He added: “I managed to phone the housing association today, and they were great actually, but it shouldn’t have taken since the 13th to get sorted.

“I think it might have just been an accident, because it’s only been since the car park was put in, but it absolutely should have been sorted when we first mentioned it.”

Bromford Housing Association has confirmed it is aware of issues with a collapsed drainage pipe in the area and is trying to resolve it.

A spokesperson said: “We’re aware of the issue and understand how inconvenient this is for our customers. The cause has been identified as a collapsed drain pipe, and we’re working to resolve it as quickly as possible.

“A survey has been completed, and an engineer is on site to clean up. A colleague is also on site to support our customers and keep them informed, and we’ll confirm a date for the necessary repair work shortly.”