87-year-old woman in Norfolk forced to use cat litter due to sewage woes
It follows widespread issues affecting households in the west Norfolk community
An 87-year-old woman living in a Norfolk village with ongoing sewage problems has said she is forced to go to the toilet on top of cat litter because she cannot use her backed-up loo.
The “shocking” situation was revealed at a public meeting in Grimston, where locals met with Anglian Water and Norfolk County Council representatives to discuss the continued problems.
It follows widespread issues affecting households in the west Norfolk community and neighbouring Pott Row and Roydon which have been exacerbated by the wet weather this winter.
During the event attended by more than 100 frustrated locals, the 87-year-old, who said she has recently been left partially disabled following a stroke, described the ordeal she has been facing.
"I’ve had to resort to sitting on cat litter"
She said: “I’ve had to resort to sitting on cat litter to get rid of my own waste because the sewer in the front of my house backs up whenever we get heavy rain and it overflows and backs into my drains.
“I am left isolated in my house with no means whatsoever to get rid of my waste. In February, I had to buy a commode and fill it with cat litter. I was left in this state for five days. The situation is awful.”
Her story left many in the room shocked at the situation she faced this winter.
Rob Colwell, Liberal Democrat MP candidate and west Norfolk county councillor, said: “There was a lot of anger in the room from local residents.
“We had stories of sewage flooding homes, geysers of water coming from street manhole covers that tested positive for E. coli, people contracting E. coli.
“But the 87-year-old’s experience is utterly heart-wrenching.”
"Heart-wrenching"
Following the event, Mr Colwell has said Norfolk County Council is offering support to the woman and Anglian Water has been asked to send an engineer to look at the issue.
Villagers have faced months of wastewater overflowing from drains following heavy rain, covering roads and causing problems for households.
Anglian Water has said surface water is infiltrating its sewer system, which is unable to cope due to the wet weather this winter.
Problems have persisted for the past two decades, particularly in Watery Lane in Grimston, which has had frequent problems with sewage overflowing from manholes from the main pipe that connects the village with a sewage treatment plant.
Strain
People have complained that the situation is getting worse due to the strain on the sewer system caused by new housing developments in the area.
At the meeting, representatives from AW said they were committed to finding a solution as part of their 2035 strategy but they were unable to provide a timescale for implementation.
Head of technical operations, Paul Louth, told residents they “can’t solve everything” immediately but that the company is working towards improving the situation. and is committed to working with partner agencies to find a solution.
"Balance on buckets"
The issues experienced by villagers in Grimston, Pott Row and Roydon, has also been reported by other communities in Norfolk.
In Bunwell in south Norfolk, locals have said they are having to “balance on buckets” after being unable to use their toilets for days due to their system being backed up.
Sewage flooding out of drains has also been reported recently in Aslacton, which villagers fear has been flowing into the River Tas.
And in Hickling, people have had to use public toilets for months and have reported raw sewage coming up from their baths and toilets.