Two Aberdeen residents had to spend months “fighting” for help amid fears their homes would be flooded with raw sewage.
Last year a drain outside Hazel Moir’s home in Sheddocksley became backed up, causing excrement and toilet paper to spill into her garden and into her neighbour’s property.
And while it was later cleared out, workers left a deep “manhole” partly-exposed near her front door – raising fears that her cat could fall in or that more waste could bubble up out of the gap.
Neighbour Robert Knowles said he had been embroiled in a two-month battle with the council to finish the work and replace the broken slab covering the pit.
And just hours after the P&J reached out to the local authority for information, contractors arrived to remedy the issue.
The neighbours first became aware of the issue in late November, when the sewage spillage began causing a series of problems.
Mr Knowles said: “It was awful. It was stinking.
“They took the drain cover off and the sewage was lapping all over the place.
“It was also coming through the drain connected to our washing machine, so the smell was in our house as well.”
The waste water also caused concern for Ms Moir, who suspects her beloved cat Jian had gone paddling and consumed some of it.
“I was wondering why she was off her food,” she said.
“She was being sick quite a lot and was very poorly.”
Mr Knowles’ garden had previously been flooded by waste from the drain in 2007, when three inches of water bubbled over his back wall into his shed and garage.
He suspects the most recent issues were caused by others nearby flushing items down the toilet, causing a backlog where the pipes change direction under Ms Moir’s back garden.
Mr Knowles had been in contact with the council since the first incident at the end of November, and while the sewers had been cleaned out he felt the council was “not willing” to fully finish the job.
But after the P&J contacted Aberdeen City Council for more information, Mr Knowles had a plumbing inspector – and later a repairman – knocking at his door within hours.
A council spokesman said: “We were aware of the issue and undertook repairs on the drains with subsequent camera inspection showing that the drains are now clear.
“An officer has visited Mr Knowles to update him on the work undertaken and discuss any other issues he may wish to raise”.