Pensioner faces £1,000 bill after sewage floods garden

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 23 Oct, 07:02 · Archive

A 72-year-old man says he faces over £1,000 in damages after a blocked pipe sent sewage into his garden in Horsford.

A 72-year-old pensioner plans to claim more than £1,000 in damages after a blocked sewage pipe sent human waste spilling into his garden in Horsford last Friday. Will Minns, his wife Rosemary and their two daughters were left with contaminated grass, patios and paths. The blockage remained for 12 hours, and sewage stayed in the garden for five days before contractors arrived to disinfect the area.

Mr Minns said the damage is extensive. A table and chairs set worth about £800 will need replacing, alongside outdoor furniture destroyed by the sewage. Crops grown in the garden must also be removed. He criticised the response, saying: 'I just think they should have had a tanker pumping it out sooner.' Contractors from Anglian Water are now ripping up his lawn and stones to remove contaminated soil.

Anglian Water contractors gave Mr Minns an insurance form and suggested he contact Aviva, the company's insurer. A spokesman for Anglian Water said: 'We appreciate this has been a distressing experience for the resident and we're sorry for the disruption caused.' The company said it attended the same day the blockage was identified and undertook jetting of the public sewer, with a specialist contractor undertaking more extensive cleaning works on Tuesday.

How it is being reported

• Pensioner left with more than £1,000 of damage after sewage spills into his gardenWill Minns plans to claim more than £1,000 in damages from Aviva and Anglian Water after sewage flooded his garden at his family home in Holt Road.Eastern Daily Press · 23 Oct, 06:00
• Pensioner left with more than £1,000 of damage after sewage spills into his gardenWill Minns plans to claim more than £1,000 in damages from Aviva and Anglian Water after sewage flooded his garden at his family home in Holt Road.Norwich Evening News · 23 Oct, 06:00

In this story: Will Minns · Rosemary · Anglian Water · Aviva · Horsford · Holt Road

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