A GRANDMOTHER has been waiting for three weeks for a housing provider to clear a ‘disgusting’ blocked drain which is overflowing with sewage.

Elaine Birtwistle says that despite repeated complaints about the problem Contour Homes has failed to clear the unsanitary blockage.

The 52-year-old from Longcliffe Walk, in Halliwell, adds that the smell often leaves her retching.

She said: “I can’t go out of my front door, it absolutely stinks. It’s been going on three weeks now, there’s faeces coming out of the drain, it’s disgusting.

“It’s so powerful, it has lifted the drain up .

“It’s been reported so many times but no one has been, it’s beyond a joke."

The homes in Longcliffe Walk are sheltered accommodation for the elderly and disabled, and Miss Birtwistle, who has mobility problems, says residents should not have to tolerate such a health hazard.

She said: “We are unwell around here in one way or another, but no one should have to put up with it. It’s got worse and worse.

“I can’t put stuff in my bins, I keep the bag in the bin for as long as I can by pushing everything down.

“And, if it’s a nice day, I can’t peg the washing out, I would have to stand in all the soggy tissue papers.”

And Miss Birtwistle says it is easier for her to leave her house by the front door, as the steps at the back are more steep.

But the stench and mess at the front of her house mean she is risking a fall by using the exit at the rear of the bungalow.

And she hit out at Contour Homes for not treating the situation as more of a priority. She said: “I think it’s disgraceful, especially the faeces being in the garden, it’s disgusting. I have grandchildren who come round and I am concerned for their health, too."

A spokesman for Contour Homes said: “Our contractors attended Longcliffe Walk, and the issue was raised with United Utilities who have attended on Wednesday. We are now arranging for our contractors to attend to carry out a clean-up.”