A group of homeowners are furious after spending a staggering £50,000 trying to repair a faulty sewage pump on their new development.
Residents of Castor Park in Allington, Kent, have had to deal with a series of leaks, blockages and excess waste water over the past year.
They say they are constantly paranoid about sewer problems and increasingly concerned about the potential health problems, especially for their children.
The row of nine homes was built in 2018 by Clarendon Homes after plans were approved by Maidstone Council.
Clarendon installed sewerage and pumps to suit the site and insists everything was done correctly and the company was only recently made aware of the problems.
Residents say that since the properties were sold, the responsibility for maintaining the waste station falls on them – rather than Southern Water, the utility they pay in their waste removal fees.
As a result, the nine households have had to spend more than £50,000 on repairs, specialist investigations and emergency sewage disposal – since the problems started in December 2023.
They have also paid around £15,000 to waste management service County Clean to have the pumps replaced and are tasked with scheduling a tanker every ten days to remove the backed up sewage.
Residents of Castor Park in Allington: (left to right) Rasa and Nick Fifield, Mandy Stevens, Danielle and Jamie Ross-Davie
The homeowners have to pay for a tanker truck that manually sucks up the sewage
Waste now needs to be removed from the Castor Park site every four days, costing around £310 each time
Mother-of-one Danielle Ross-Davies, 35, organizes the waste tankers and blockage removals on behalf of her neighbors.
She said: 'It's been seven years and we shouldn't have this problem. It's a nightmare.
'How are we supposed to find this extra money, especially when it comes to the costs of a life crisis? We're just nine houses with normal jobs.'
Her husband Jamie, 36, added: 'There is no light at the end of the tunnel – we don't know when this is going to end.
'We can't just let the sewage come up, we have to have it removed. And you can't sell the houses either, so we're stuck here.'
Residents Nick and Rasa Fifield, 51 and 50, say everyone is constantly concerned about the sewage flowing into their homes.
The couple, who have lived on the estate for six years, are in a particularly difficult situation because they have two manhole covers and an inspection pit leading to the pumping station in their garden.
Finance manager Rasa said: 'It's incredibly stressful. You flush the toilet and think, “Oh my God, is that water going to flow down or is it going to start bubbling?”
'It really has an impact on our quality of life, because you are constantly on standby. It makes you paranoid.'
One of the most recent incidents on the estate occurred on December 27, when the homeowners had to pay £810 for an emergency drainage tank due to an unexpected flood.
Nick Fifield, 51, says the pump station is causing stress and unnecessary costs to residents
Mother of two Pooja Menon worries for her children's health as faulty sewage pump causes problems for locals
It is clear that rainwater is making its way into the system, causing levels to rise rapidly.
Another call was needed on New Year's Eve, and until the problem is resolved, residents have been forced to contribute around £310 every four days to have the waste removed manually.
Preschool teacher Pooja Menon, 37, is concerned about the dangers the sewage could pose to her children, aged six and three.
She said: 'The fact that we had to get an emergency tanker to suck it all out because there was raw sewage on the road was really worrying to me.
“I know it's a health issue for everyone, but my thoughts immediately go out to my children.”
Resident Dan Sargent, 46, has investigated the ongoing problems and says that when Clarendon Homes built the properties, the company had taken out a ten-year insurance policy with Integra that was supposed to cover construction defects.
When the problems started, the homeowners paid for a private investigation into the sewer pump.
This revealed that the system was flawed: approximately 290 meters of pipework had been incorrectly laid and incorrectly filled with site stones rather than the correct material.
However, it meant that the pipes were crushed, meaning they no longer worked properly When the homeowners tried to resolve this, Integra told them that “common sewers” are not included in their policy.
Mr Sargent said: 'The builder assured us everything was covered. If we had known it was completely uninsured, we probably would have insured it before things went wrong.
Since the sewerage problems at Castor Park began, Penenden Heath Developments has started building more than 100 new properties – which will be located across the estate
An emergency tanker was needed at Christmas when sewage spilled onto the road
“If you read the policy, it means it covers everything. I just want a solution to the problem. I don't want to say it's anyone's fault.
'The Victorians built sewers that still function well. We've gotten to the point where I'd rather dig the whole thing up and put a new one in. That seems like a shame, because these are good quality homes.'
Mandy Stevens, who was the first to move to the site seven years ago, added: “I'm even more frustrated that we're not getting an answer to the question of who's to blame here.
'We have already paid out a lot of money. It's hard, I have to finance this on my own.'
Since the sewerage problems at Castor Park began, Penenden Heath Developments has started building more than 100 new properties, which will be located across the estate.
The households, who have received a letter confirming that builders will excavate the area to install their own sewerage, fear this will make their situation even worse.
In response, Penenden Heath Developments said the work will not affect existing homeowners and insisted they would install a 'completely self-contained wastewater drainage solution'.
It also confirmed that it will not touch or connect to the existing sewerage system, or connect to the new estate's drainage system.
Commenting on the ongoing situation, a spokesperson for Clarendon Homes said: 'We are aware of this situation. We installed everything correctly and as far as we know it has been working correctly for over seven years until recently.
'We will help residents resolve the problem where possible if they wish to contact us.'
MailOnline has contacted County Clean for comment.
