Residents in Fife have hit out at Scottish Water after repeated sewage overflows that are leaving them fearful for their health.
Locals in Blairhall and Kinghorn say they are fed up with the stinky situation, with rivers of filth now a regular occurrence.
Residents on South Avenue in Blairhall, West Fife, claim they are living with overflows every time there is significant rain.
The homes have a closed sewage system, but a connection between it and the drains mean that every downpour prompts the sewage to flood into residents’ gardens.
John Allan, 68, moved into his home on South Avenue in 2017 and has experienced overflow into his garden more than 20 times since then.
John keeps a record of each time it happens, with five instances recorded this year alone so far.
The RAF veteran told The Courier: “On really bad days, it just overflows and goes down through the gardens. We are all on a slope, so it comes out of mine and goes into my neighbours’ garden.
“It can burst through the fence it’s that heavy, and it just washes everything away and leaves the contents of the sewer scattered throughout my garden.”
John has also described the dread he lives with each time he watches a weather report that forecasts rain.
It leaves John and his neighbours Marilyn Chambers and Barry Cruickshank fearful to let their pets and children into the garden.
Scottish Water visits and decontaminates the area each time it happens, and surveys have been carried out that have established the cause of the problem, but no long-term solution has been found.
But the residents still feel unable to enjoy their gardens – with John fearing for the impact on his health.
He added: “It really means you can’t use your garden or lets pets out.
“Put it this way: you clean and disinfect your toilet but you wouldn’t put your head down it.”
Local councillor Graeme Downie has been advised that because the sewage is not flooding into a home, the system won’t be replaced.
He said: “It is disgusting that John, Barry and Marilyn have had regular torrents of sewage through their back gardens for years and Scottish Water has shown no interest in stopping this by solving the underlying problems.
“I know of more cases in West Fife villages but also across Fife, in Dunfermline, Kinghorn, Kirkcaldy and elsewhere.
“This points to a serious problem with water infrastructure across Scotland. It is no longer enough to say it’s too difficult to fix.”
One of the issues in Kinghorn has been reported on Queens Crescent – where one woman told The Courier there was a “river of s***”.
She added: “It’s not the kind of water feature you want really.”
Sewage overflows happening with ‘disgusting frequency’
People living there have been advised the problem is down to residents flushing things they shouldn’t down the toilet – including wipes – and causing recurrent blockages.
Calum Murray, who lives in the town, said: “This problem has been intermittent for the past year but in the last two months it has reached disgusting frequency.
“I’ve called Scottish Water out more than six times now and each time they clear the blockage and it’s back to the mess it was the next day.”
Scottish Water says the issue in Blairhall is caused by the sewer being overwhelmed during extreme weather.
A spokesman said: “Scottish Water is investing many millions to address the challenges of sewer flooding.
“While we understand how distressing the impact any sort of flooding has on communities, our investment priority – as set out by Scottish ministers and agreed with our customers – is to target internal flooding and properties most at risk.
“Customers can play a big part in keeping our sewer network operating efficiently by taking care what they flush down the toilet or pour down the sink.”
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