Family-Of-Eight Living In Sᴇᴡᴀɢᴇ-Wʀᴇᴄᴋᴇᴅ Home Haven’t Been Able To Shower For Weeks
Sam Hardy, the dad of a family-of-eight living in Portsmouth, Hampshire, ᴄʟᴀɪᴍs his young children are becoming ɪʟʟ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴄᴏɴsᴛᴀɴᴛ sɪᴄᴋɴᴇss ᴀɴᴅ ᴅɪᴀʀʀʜᴇᴀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ ʜᴀs ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇʀɴs about his pregnant wife and unborn child.
A dad-of-six living in a home flooded with sewage ᴄʟᴀɪᴍs the local council have ʀᴇFᴜsᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ Fɪx ᴛʜᴇ ɪssᴜᴇ and the large family have been unable to shower for six weeks. The bathroom of the Hardys’ three-bedroom house has ʙᴇᴇɴ ʟᴏᴄᴋᴇᴅ off since the start of November, when waves of ᴘᴏᴏ ᴀɴᴅ sᴇᴡᴇʀ ᴡᴀsᴛᴇ sᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ ʙᴜʀsᴛɪɴɢ ᴜᴘ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴏɪʟᴇᴛ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴘʀᴏᴘᴇʀᴛʏ. In addition to the sᴇᴡᴀɢᴇ, ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴏᴍᴇ ɪs ɪɴFᴇsᴛᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʀᴏᴅᴇɴᴛs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɢɴᴀᴡ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴋɪᴛᴄʜᴇɴ ᴄᴜᴘʙᴏᴀʀᴅs ᴀɴᴅ ᴀʟsᴏ ᴘᴏᴏ everywhere.
Concerned dad Sam, 31, says his young children, aged between one and nine, are becoming ᴄʜʀᴏɴɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ ɪʟʟ ᴡɪᴛʜ sɪᴄᴋɴᴇss ᴀɴᴅ ᴅɪᴀʀʀʜᴏᴇᴀ. Hᴇ ɪs ᴀʟsᴏ ᴀɴxɪᴏᴜs about his 30-week pregnant partner Rachel, and the health of his unborn seventh child.
Rachel said : “My kids deserve better and shouldn’t have to live like this, and Sam and I constantly feel sᴛʀᴇssᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴇᴘʀᴇssᴇᴅ.”
With no other options, the couple have had to fill up a small bath, which is designed for babies, with a kettle in order to wash the kids and themselves. For four hours yesterday, they plunged their bare hands into the drain to unblock it, because a maintenance worker failed to do so, they ᴄʟᴀɪᴍ.
When it’s time to wash in the tiny ᴍᴀᴋᴇsʜɪFᴛ bath, Rachel lays blankets on the kitchen floor, but says the family shouldn’t have to do so in the modern age.
“A nine-year-old should not be washing in a baby bath. This is 2021, not 1821,” she adds.
Sam ᴄʟᴀɪᴍs the council are refusing to help the family, and he’s had enough of dealing with them.
Sam, from Southsea in Portsmouth, Hampshire, said: “My kids shouldn’t have to live like this. The sᴇᴡᴀɢᴇ ɪs sǫᴜɪʀᴛɪɴɢ ᴏᴜᴛ Fʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴏᴡɴsᴛᴀɪʀs ᴛᴏɪʟᴇᴛ all over the floor. Every time we use the shower or flush the toilet upstairs, the toilet downstairs will start filling up and sewage will start spewing over and coming out of different pipes.”
Sam says there is an outdoor drain that’s also ʙʟᴏᴄᴋᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ sᴇᴡᴀɢᴇ.
On top of having to constantly clear the home and garden of fecal matter and toilet roll, the home is also infested with mice.
“Every single night” the couple wake up to find the mice have ᴘʟᴜɴᴅᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴋɪᴛᴄʜᴇɴ, ᴀɴᴅ ɴɪʙʙʟᴇᴅ through the cupboards and shelves. Sam ᴄʟᴀɪᴍs the council hasn’t lifted a finger to help despite the issue continuing for nearly two months.
He believes it’s because he owes the council £400, which he’s steadily repaying, after a benefit change. And he ᴄʟᴀɪᴍs the council have told him that they will help once he repays his outstanding debt. The couple got social services, their midwife, and the kid’s school to write to the council, but they “haven’t done anything except asking for their money”.
The horrific living conditions have left the couple sᴜFFᴇʀɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴅᴇᴘʀᴇssɪᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀɴxɪᴇᴛʏ ᴀs ᴛʜᴇʏ Fᴇᴇʟ ᴛʀᴀᴘᴘᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴏᴘᴇʟᴇss.
They ᴄʟᴀɪᴍ the kids, aged one, three, four, five, six and nine, are visiting the doctors often with conditions they link to the situation. But 111 told them it’s unlikely it will be the mice and sewage.
A spokesperson for Portsmouth City Council said: “We will also be helping the tenants clear the front and rear gardens, treat for mice and carry out any other repairs that are required.”
In a separate statement shared to The Sun, the council said they are not “withholding any services” from the family and have made several visits to the home. They ᴄʟᴀɪᴍed to have taken appropriate action, and that they weren’t notified about sewage at the property. The council added that a housing officer will be in touch with tenants and visit to “investigate the situation”.
