A group of homeowners are fed up after spending a whopping $75,000 – trying to fix a faulty sewage pump on their built-up property.
Over the past year, people living in Castor Park in Allington, Kent have had to deal with a series of sewage leaks, blockages and spills.
They say they are constantly paranoid about sewage issues – and are increasingly worried about the potential health problems they have, especially for their children.
The row of nine properties was built in 2018 by Clarendon Homes after plans were approved by Maidstone Council.
Clarendon installed a sewage line and pumps to go with the site – and insists everything was done correctly and was only recently made aware of the problems.
Residents say that since the property was sold, the responsibility for maintaining the waste station has fallen to them – rather than Southern Water, the utility they pay in their waste disposal rates.
As a result, nine families have had to spend more than $75,000 on repairs, specialist investigations and emergency sewage removal – since the problems began in December 2023.
They’ve also paid the waste management service County Clean roughly $20,000 to replace the pumps — and are tasked with scheduling a tanker to remove the sewage build-up every 10 days.
Mum-of-one Danielle Ross-Davies, 35, has been organizing rubbish bins and clearing blockages on behalf of her neighbours.
She said: “We’re seven years in and we shouldn’t have this problem.
“It’s a nightmare.
“How are we supposed to find this extra money, especially at the cost of a life crisis?
“We are only nine houses with normal business.”
Her husband Jamie, 36, added: “There is no light at the end of the tunnel – we don’t know when this will end.
“We can’t allow sewage to keep growing, we have to get rid of it.
“And you can’t even sell the houses, so we’re stuck here.”
Residents Nick and Rasa Fifield, 51 and 50, say they are all constantly worried about sewage flowing into their homes.
The couple, who have lived in the property for six years, are in a particularly tricky situation – as they have two well covers and an inspection room leading to the pumping station in their garden.
Finance manager Rasa said: “It’s extremely stressful.
“You flush the toilet and think ‘oh my god, is the water going to flush or start bubbling?’
“It really affects our quality of life because you’re constantly on call. It makes you paranoid.”
One of the most recent incidents at the property happened on December 27 – when the homeowners had to pay $1,000 for an emergency removal tank due to a sudden overflow.
It is understood that rainwater is finding its way into the system – which is causing levels to rise rapidly.
Another call was needed on New Year’s Eve and, until the problem is resolved, residents are forced to contribute about $385 every four days to remove the trash by hand.
Pre-school teacher Pooja Menon, 37, is worried about the dangers sewage could pose to her children, aged six and three.
She said: “The fact that we had to get an emergency tanker to soak it all up because there was raw sewage in the street was really worrying for me.
“I know it’s a health concern for everyone, but my mind immediately goes to my children.”
Resident Dan Sargent, 46, has requested the ongoing issues.
He says when Clarendon Homes built the properties, the company signed a ten-year insurance policy with Integra.
This was to cover construction defects.
When the problems started, the homeowners paid for a private investigation into the sewage pump.
This revealed that the system was flawed, with about 950 feet of pipes incorrectly laid and mistakenly filled with stones from the site instead of the correct material.
This meant the pipes were crushed – stopping them from working properly.
However, when the homeowners tried to fix this, Integra told them that “municipal sewer” is not covered by their policy.
Dan said: “We were assured by the builder that everything was covered.
“Had we known it was completely uninsured, we probably would have insured it before it went bad.
“If you read the policy, it means it covers everything.
“I just want to have a solution to the problem. I don’t care to say it’s anyone’s fault.
“The Victorians built sewers that still work well.
“We’re at the point where I’d rather just dig the whole thing out and put in a new one.”
“It seems a shame as these are quality homes.”
Mandy Stevens, who first moved to the site seven years ago, added: “I’m most frustrated that we’re not getting any answers as to who is to blame here.
“We have already paid a lot of money. It’s hard – I’m the one who has to fund this myself.”
Since the sewage problems at Castor Park began, Penenden Heath Developments has started building on more than 100 new properties – which will front on to the property.
The families, who received a letter confirming that the builders will excavate the area to install their sewage line, are worried that this will make their situation worse.
In response, Penenden Heath Developments has said the works will not affect existing homeowners – and insisted they would install a “completely independent dirty drainage solution”.
He also confirmed that he will not touch the existing sewage line and connect to it, or connect it to the drainage system for the new estate.
Commenting on the ongoing situation, a spokesman for Clarendon Homes said: “We are aware of this situation.
“We installed everything correctly and to our knowledge it worked correctly for over seven years until recently.
“We will assist residents where possible in trying to resolve the issue if they wish to contact us.”
Country Clean did not comment.
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