Bungling electricians punctured pipe causing sewage to pump into grandad's home

05 November 2023 , 14:40

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Steve Tragner, 72, beside the telecom pole that punctured a sewage pipeline (Image: Steve Tragner / SWNS)

A pensioner and his three grandchildren were left living in a stinking mess for three months after bungling electricians accidentally punctured a sewage pipe outside their home.

Steve Tragner, 72, was stuck with sewage pumping into his home for three months, if he ever used his washing machine. Along with the three children living there, he was too afraid to use the toilet at night because sewage would overflow into the garden. The nightmare began when Openreach replaced a telegraph pole outside Mr Tragner's home on August 1.

A few weeks later, his driveway in Whitstable, Kent was flooded with water from a manhole, leading to tanker trucks having to collect sewage from his property twice a day. The ordeal lasted three months as Openreach reportedly delayed fixing the issue.

The retired air-conditioning engineer is now launching a claims battle. He said: "It was bloody annoying. At night time we couldn't even use the toilets or take a shower because I was afraid it would overflow into the garden again. And throughout the house, we had a disgusting odour of sewage because it was not going away.

The moment Openreach drilled down and punctured the sewage pipe (Steve Tragner / SWNS)

At one point tanker trucks had to collect sewage from the property twice a day (Steve Tragner / SWNS)

"You wouldn't believe it, especially with children. We couldn't use the toilets or anything at night, we couldn't use washing machine, we couldn't wash up. With three children living here at the moment, it really has not been easy to live with. When they came to pump it out each day, I would be rushing around having a shower, flushing the toilets, putting on the washing machines.

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"We called Southern Water, and subcontractors came down the next day with cameras and confirmed that the problem was being caused by a rupture in the sewage pipeline. We'd been trying to get in contact with people to rectify this, but we just went around in circles for months.

When replacing the telegraph pole outside their home engineers punctured the sewer line (Steve Tragner / SWNS)

The family were left terrified to use water at night in case it flooded their property further (Steve Tragner / SWNS)

"Then this past Tuesday, crews of subcontractors showed up unannounced, removed the pole and fitted the pipeline with a connector sleeve. It's finished now and that's a relief, but what are the consequences of the sewage potentially seeping under the house, under the garden? Only time will tell."

Openreach have apologised for Steve's "unpleasant" experience and said they have replaced the "problematic" pole. They said: "We're sorry that Steve and his family have had this unpleasant experience. Our partners have now replaced the problematic pole and we're working with Southern Water to finalise repairs to the pipe as quickly and as safely as possible."

Southern Water have been approached for comment.

* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]

James Pallant