The cause of a drain blockage which left sewage in a pensioner's garden has been revealed.

Colin Greenwood, 83, said he was left struggling to eat meals at his Dereham home due to the stench of waste seeping from a drain cover just outside his house on Hillcrest Avenue and covering the path by his back door.

The leak, which started on January 29, has now been sorted and cleaned up by Anglian Water.


Dereham Times: The sewage leak from the drain cover at Colin Greenwood's home on Hillcrest Avenue in DerehamThe sewage leak from the drain cover at Colin Greenwood's home on Hillcrest Avenue in Dereham (Image: Denise Bradley)

An Anglian Water spokesperson said: “Our teams cleared a blockage on Shipdham Road on Friday evening (February 2), and disinfected Mr Greenwood’s garden. This blockage was caused by unflushable material, such as wet wipes, tampons and cooking fats.”

It will come as a relief for Mr Greenwood who was forced to travel just shy of a mile to use his son’s toilet and to wash.

Neighbours had also reported sewage leaking into their back gardens and puddles of dirty water were seen on the street.

Anglian Water said the delay in the repair was due to a high volume of work following the extreme weather.

Dereham Times: The drain cover leaking sewage in Hillcrest Avenue in DerehamThe drain cover leaking sewage in Hillcrest Avenue in Dereham (Image: Denise Bradley)