'The smell is horrendous': Walsall residents heartbroken after sewage flooded their homes
Residents living in the town of Willenhall near Walsall say they have been left heartbroken and devastated at the state of their homes after sewage flooded them 3 weeks ago.
Young families and elderly people are among those living in the houses which have been covered in thick sludge as a result of the flood.
Residents on Farmbridge Way say they often wade through the sludge, that is sometimes hip height.
Sharon Sleeth has lived there for more than 30 years, during which time her house has been flooded with sewage four times.
"We've had it six inches up the walls, 8 inches, to the point where had to lose half the wall with plasterboard throughout the house.
"Things have been destroyed, furniture has been destroyed. It leaves a black scum, you could literally write your name in it, it's like black sand, the smell is horrendous."
Heavy thunderstorms caused flooding across the Midlands last month. It's believed the flooding is a result of heavy rain pushing open the drains.
Sharon's daughter Kirsty believes the rain has pushed the drains open, including one right in the middle of the estate.
She said: "There's sanitary products, you can just imagine everything that you put down the toilet is in our homes.
"Sheer panic, panic, distraught. They don't know which way to turn."
In a statement, Severn Trent Water told us:
Jamie, his wife and 12-week-old baby have been forced to move into a hotel while asbestos is checked in the house they had only just bought a year ago. The bottom floor is now completely destroyed.
Residents say they've been in constant contact with Severn Trent, with no luck.Severn Trent says it will continue to investigate and speak with residents directly to find the root cause of the flooding.
They are also planning to be out on the streets in Willenhall, offering support to homes impacted by the floods on Wednesday 16 October.
In a statement, Michael Keenan, Network Operations Lead at Severn Trent, said: "We know how distressing any form of flooding can be and we are very sorry to the residents of Farmbridge Close and Grenville Close.
"This is a complicated issue that may require several partners working together to come up with a long-term solution. A
"s a matter of urgency, a team attended the site on Friday afternoon and the pumps were operating as they should as well as finding no issues with the shaft tank. We will continue our investigations and speak with residents directly to find the root cause of the flooding."
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