Couple near Chesterfield ‘sick to back teeth’ of waste water flooding their garden

Andrew and Lynn Ashby moved in to their bungalow on Pine View, Danesmoor, in October last year.

MORE: Derbyshire police release picture of woman they want to trace after purse stolen from elderly victim

They told the Derbyshire Times their garden floods with ‘smelly’ and ‘unpleasant’ waste water whenever there is heavy rain.

Yorkshire Water said it would investigate.

Mr Ashby, 54, said: “There’s a grate on the land on the other side of the the perimeter fence.

“Whenever it rains a lot, waste water spouts up through the grate and this floods on to our garden.

“There's usually up to nine feet of water – and it absolutely stinks.

“All sorts comes up.

“It's not pleasant at all.

“It was very bad during the storms at the end of last month.”

Mr Ashby, who worked as a nurse during the pandemic, added: “This has happened at least a dozen times now.

“We are sick to the back teeth of this situation and we want it resolving once and for all as soon as possible.

“I’m disabled – I’m currently waiting for an operation on my spine – and my wife is my full-time carer.

“Whenever it floods we can't go out and enjoy our garden.

“We have a puppy but we don't dare let him out in case he catches disease from the water.

“Every time it rains we're concerned.”

Mr Ashby and his 54-year-old wife said they recently complained about the problem to the company which owns the land where the grate is located.

However, the firm told them ‘the issue is not related to the drainage of our building’ and that Yorkshire Water had been contacted.

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson told the Derbyshire Times: “We know flooding of any nature can be distressing.

“It is important customers who experience flooding on their properties during periods of prolonged heavy rainfall – such as the region experienced at the end of February – contact us so we can investigate quickly and reduce the likelihood of similar issues in the future.

“Now we are aware of the problems these customers faced during periods of prolonged heavy rainfall we will investigate the surface water drainage in the area to try and identify any issues.”

MORE: Appalling’: Firefighters come under attack from young yobs as they tackle blaze in Derbyshire

Support your Derbyshire Times by becoming a digital subscriber. You will see 70 per cent fewer ads on stories, meaning faster load times and an overall enhanced user experience. Visit www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/subscriptions