A north Wales family say they have been living upstairs in their home for 18 months because they keep getting flooded during periods of heavy rain. Gavin Hicks and his wife and young daughter were flooded again in December when their home was caked in foul-smelling sewage for a fifth time after their drainage system failed to cope with the pressure.
The family are so sure their home will continue flooding that they live upstairs in the house in Penrhyndeudraeth, near Porthmadog and have refused to get new carpets. They have continuously contacted Welsh Water about the issue but the company insists there is nothing wrong with the public sewerage system and the issue, they say, is isolated to the property.
The company said its investigations recently identified surface water and land drainage issues unconnected to its public sewerage system and has advised the family to contact their home insurance provider. The former Hendre Hall cottage lies opposite Eryri National Park Authority’s headquarters and didn’t start flooding until the summer of 2023, Gavin told NorthWalesLive.
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Gavin explained when it floods water “spouts like a fountain” from a drain cover outside leading to the property’s waste pipe. The sewage water is full of faeces and toilet tissue and rushes through the house, he said.
Internal walls have been left riddled with damp -Credit:Gavin Hicks
Standing water and sewage detritus in the property in 2023. Carpets were subsequently removed and never replaced for fear of another flood -Credit:Gavin Hicks
Gavin has acquired an industrial pump to remove water from the property -Credit:Gavin Hicks
“Whenever it rains I struggle to sleep. Sometimes I’m awake all night, listening for sounds of flooding. The foul water covers the garden, then comes into the house under the doors and up through the skirting boards. I carry my wife and Gwenno (four-year-old daughter) out of the house to safety to prevent them being contaminated.
“I bought a pump to remove the water and I have a sprayer like people use for weedkiller to cover the interior with bleach,” he said. “Because of the fumes, I spray the bleach before I go to work so that I can leave all the windows open. Eventually the foul smell goes away. I used to drive a sewage wagon, so I know the dangers of contamination and I work hard to get rid of it, even though I know it will happen all over again the next time there’s heavy rain.”
The family say they have complained to Welsh Water on three occasions. After the last flood on December 7 Gavin said two specialists inspected the house and carried out CCTV surveys. He said the company offered to install a non-return flap on the property’s waste pipe, and fit an alarm warning Welsh Water of imminent flooding.
A Welsh Water spokesperson said: “After the latest flooding incident on December 7, 2024, a prompt compensation payment was made to the customer on December 9 under our guaranteed standards of service. On the same day (December 9), a thorough investigation of our network near the property was carried out, including CCTV surveys. It became apparent there are surface water and land drainage issues at the property.
“Private land drainage at the property is also directed into the private sewer, which has exacerbated the problem. Our investigations have shown the issue is not with our public sewer, which is operating as it should. A non-return valve has been discussed with the customer, who has been advised it would not resolve their issue due to the levels of water entering the system at the property. We have advised the customer to speak with their home insurance providers.”