Waterlooville family endure 8 weeks of hell after back garden drain spews poo and used toilet roll

A FAMILY have been left to clean up faeces and filthy loo roll oozing into their garden after their landlord failed to fix a clogged drain.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Electrician Roy Martin, from Waterlooville, has hit out at the Guinness Partnership for ‘neglecting' his family after raw sewage from his Durley Avenue home began spewing from a manhole cover in his back garden almost nine weeks ago.

The 36-year-old, who lives with his daughter, his partner Michelle Egan and her two children has been forced to bag up the muck by hand after a trio of contractors were unable to eliminate the problem.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

One said the issue was the result of his home’s drainage system ‘backing up on itself’, and allegedly found ‘lumps of grout, screws and brackets’ with a camera, thought to be from a bathroom refurb before the family moved in two years ago.

Left, the clogged drain and right, Michelle Egan and her partner Roy Martin. Picture: Sarah Standing (240619-9607)Left, the clogged drain and right, Michelle Egan and her partner Roy Martin. Picture: Sarah Standing (240619-9607)
Left, the clogged drain and right, Michelle Egan and her partner Roy Martin. Picture: Sarah Standing (240619-9607)

‘When it began there was water seeping from the edge of the manhole cover,' said Mr Martin.

‘But it got to the stage where it lifted and turds and toilet roll were coming out from underneath it.

‘I’ve had to physically pick up what I can and put it in a bag so it’s not sat there.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘We’ve had to avoid that side of the garden but because it’s summer the heat seems to make it smell worse. The smell is unreal.’

The drain in the family's back garden. Picture: Roy MartinThe drain in the family's back garden. Picture: Roy Martin
The drain in the family's back garden. Picture: Roy Martin

Mr Martin claims being close to the waste left him off work with sickness and diarrhoea and believes it even affected Michelle's severely disabled 10-year-old son, Neo, who has a chromosome disorder and came down with gastroenteritis.

Michelle, a 32-year-old lunch time assistant at Neo’s special school, Rachel Madocks, said: ‘He was hospitalised overnight whilst they took his bloods and everything else.

‘He was severely dehydrated because he didn't keep anything down and he went into starvation mode.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘I know it’s because of this problem because he hasn’t been unwell for a long time.'

Roy Martin (36) with his partner Michelle Egan (32) next to the drain which has been clogging up. Picture: Sarah Standing (240619-1565)Roy Martin (36) with his partner Michelle Egan (32) next to the drain which has been clogging up. Picture: Sarah Standing (240619-1565)
Roy Martin (36) with his partner Michelle Egan (32) next to the drain which has been clogging up. Picture: Sarah Standing (240619-1565)

What now remains of the flooding is a contaminated mound of filth, after faeces from the drain spilled onto green waste from Mr Martin’s previous efforts at landscaping his garden.

A spokeswoman for the Guinness Partnership said: ‘The drain has been cleared and we are arranging for the contaminated soil to be removed as soon as possible.’

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.