A group of homeowners are fed up after forking out an eye-watering $75,000 — to try to fix a faulty sewage pump on their new-built estate.
Over the past year, people living in Castor Park in Allington, Kent, have been forced to deal with a series of leaks, blockages, and wastewater overspills.
They say they are constantly paranoid about sewage issues — and are growing increasingly concerned about potential health issues posed, particularly 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 it was only recently made aware of the problems.
Residents say ever since the properties were sold, responsibility for the maintenance of the waste station has fallen to them — instead of to Southern Water, the utility company they pay in their fees for waste removal.
As a result, the nine households have had to spend more than $75,000 on repairs, specialist investigations, and emergency sewage removals — since problems began in December 2023.
They have also paid out approximately $20,000 to waste-management service County Clean to have the pumps replaced – 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 organising the waste tankers and blockage removals on behalf of her neighbours.
She said: “We are seven years in and shouldn’t be having this problem.
“It’s a nightmare.
“How are we supposed to find this extra money, especially in the cost of a living crisis?
“We are just nine houses with normal jobs.”
Her husband Jamie, 36, added: “There’s no light at the end of the tunnel – we do not know when this is going to end.
“We can’t let sewage just come up and over, we’ve got to get 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 sewage running into their homes.
The couple, who have lived on the estate for six years, are in a particularly tricky situation — as they have two manhole covers and an inspection chamber which leads to the pumping station in their garden.
Finance manager Rasa said: “It is unbelievably stressful.
“You flush the toilet and think ‘oh my god, is that water going to run down or is it going to start bubbling up?’
“It really impacts our quality of life, because you’re constantly on standby. It makes you paranoid.”
One of the most recent incidents on the estate happened on December 27 — when the homeowners had to pay $1,000 for an emergency removal tank due to an unexpected overflow.
It is understood that rainwater is finding its way into the system — which is causing the levels to quickly rise.
Another call-out was needed on New Year’s Eve, and, until the problem is fixed, the residents are forced to contribute around $385 every four days to have the waste manually disposed of.
Preschool teacher Pooja Menon, 37, is worried 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 for me.
“I know it is a health concern for everyone but my mind immediately goes to my children.”
Resident Dan Sargent, 46, has been looking into the ongoing issues.
He says that when Clarendon Homes built the properties, the company took out a decade-long insurance policy with Integra.
This was supposed to cover building defects.
When the problems started, the homeowners paid for a private investigation into the sewage pump.
This revealed that the system was flawed, with around 950 feet of pipework being incorrectly laid and improperly backfilled with rocks from the site instead of the proper material.
This meant the pipes had been crushed — stopping them from working properly.
However, when the homeowners tried to get this fixed, Integra told them that “communal sewers” aren’t included in 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 wrong.
“If you read the policy, it implies it covers everything.
“I just want to have a resolution to the problem. I’m not interested in saying it’s someone’s fault.
“The Victorians built sewers that are still functioning perfectly well.
“We’re at the point where I’d rather just dig the whole thing up and put a new one in.
“It seems a shame as these are good quality homes.”
Mandy Stevens, the first to move to the site seven years ago, added: “I’m more frustrated that we’re not getting any answers to who’s at fault here.
“We’ve paid out a lot of money already. It’s hard – I’m on my own having to fund this.”
Since the sewage problems began at Castor Park, Penenden Heath Developments have started construction on more than 100 new properties — due to go opposite the estate.
The households, who received a letter confirming builders will be digging up the area to lay their own sewage line, are worried this will make their situation even worse.
In response, Penenden Heath Developments has said the works will not impact existing homeowners – and insisted they would be installing a “completely independent foul drainage solution”.
It also confirmed it will not touch the existing sewage line and will not be connecting into it, or connecting it to the drainage system for the new estate.
Commenting on the ongoing situation, a spokesperson for Clarendon Homes said: “We are aware of this situation.
“We installed everything correctly and to our knowledge it has been working correctly for over seven years until recently.
“We’ll assist the residents where possible in trying to resolve the issue if they wish to make contact with us.”
Country Clean did not comment.