‘I’ve never smelt anything like it in my life’: Northampton residents disgusted as human waste floods corridor in block of flats

Residents at a block of flats in Northampton have had to deal with bad smells as a drainage problem caused sewage to flow into the communal corridor.

One resident of the Black Friars House in Upper Cross Street, Spring Boroughs claims the sewage was, at one point, an inch and a half deep.

Part of the block of flats, which is owned by Northampton Partnership Homes, was filled with sewage including human excrement and wipes.

A resident who wishes to remain anonymous said: “Last year we had problems with the manhole.

“The drains were spouting back out sewage through baths and toilets.

“The council did come and fix it, but now we’re having more problems.

“Human excrement and wipes have covered the foyer. There’s a cleaning cupboard off the foyer and it’s seeping out of there.

“It’s an inch and a half deep and I’ve never smelt anything like it. It’s a health hazard.

“People have had to move out because of it.”

Another resident added: "The initial problem started with the blocked drain that was over flowing with human waste.

"The smell was awful and the entire area smelt like a sewer for all this time.

"When the council finally came to fix the problem they rodded the drain which then caused a back up which led to the flooded communal hallway.

"The liquid and gravelly bits are actually human excrement and sewage.

"The communal hallway has been unusable for all this time because of the raw sewage and the foul smell."

The residents said that others had also reported the problem to Northampton Partnership Homes and felt that it took too long to effectively deal with an issue that was causing such concern.

However, the partnership says it responded in a timely manner and is also warning tenants not to put items down the toilet that do not belong in the ‘three p’s’ category.

Gary Duckmanton, assistant director of property maintenance and compliance said: “We first became aware of the issue with the drains on April 29.

“Our contractors attended within 24 hours to clear the blockage.

“The issue was reported to us again on May 10.

“The team leader for this area visited the flats along with our contractors, to look into the issue on May 14.

“During this visit, we found a large blockage, including fat, grease, wipes and cigarette butts.

“We responded to each of these reports within the time frames set out in our service standards.

“We understand the blocked drain, and the smell caused by the blockage, are unpleasant for tenants.

“We will be investigating to check there aren’t any other issues contributing to the problems.

“However, we ask our tenants to only flush the 3 P’s: pee, poo and paper, and not to pour leftover food, fat or grease down the kitchen sink, to avoid blockages.”

Since Northampton Partnership Homes was contacted for comment, the residents have reported that the drainage problem has been solved and sewage no longer seeps into the communal area. Although the remaining sewage has not been cleaned up and the residents say the areas are not usable.

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