We visit the Walsall neighbourhood where homes are being flooded by sewage

The concerns come after the residents of Farmbridge Way, Willenhall, again found their homes flooded with tainted sewer water.

The road was flooded with thick sludge and tainted sewer water on September 21, marking the fourth time that the properties have been flooded since 1999.

Now, residents have talked of their disgust at their family homes being swamped with the dirty water, with a new mother saying it was like 'a waist-high river of sewage' which they have reported to Severn Trent Water.

The water company has acknowledged the residents' concerns and told how a solution may need "several partners" to cooperate - see their full statement below.

'It's challenging as a first-time mum'

Skye Butler-Booth, a mother of a three-month-old, has lived at the address for 27 years, she said: "I've been experiencing this for over 27 years.

"This last one, we were told it would never happen again, and then it did. The downstairs was completely flooded, we lost the carpets, the chairs and it's in the kitchen too.

"Having a little one, it's challenging, a first-time mum should be at home recovering, spending time with the family, but I can't."

Skye said that the recent flood is the fourth time the house has been filled with sewer water, however, she also said the worst was in 2018 when the water was almost waist-high.

She said: "This would be the fourth time it has flooded. There was one in 1999, 2012 and 2018. The one in 2018 was the worst one that I can remember. It was waist-high, like a river of sewer water.

"The neighbours have been great, we have all supported each other, we have people who are terminally ill, new families, elderly people. If anyone wants support, then we are always there."

'The house no longer feels like home'

Laken Porter, a 29-year-old mother of two, has had to dry her home with two industrial dehumidifiers, however, she says it no longer feels like home.

Ms Porter said: "At the moment we are just drying the place out. We have two industrial dehumidifiers that are constantly on the go. The sound is honestly mind-numbing. It has become every day, you have to turn them off just so you can get some peace.

"The house doesn't feel like home. It feels cold, it isn't cold because we have the heaters on to dry the walls and floors, but it has lost that warm, homely cosy feeling."

Ms Porter's four-year-old son has autism and finds it hard to understand why he has to keep his shoes on in the house.

She said: "My youngest has autism, he does have issues with some sensory things. He really doesn't understand why he has to keep his socks and shoes on, it can overwhelm his senses.

"But no matter how much you wipe and wash stuff, it just never cleans. I can't restrict him to the upstairs because it's just not fair. You do your best to clean it but it's impossible. It's disgusting."

Ms Porter said that since their story was reported in the media, they have been visited by Severn Trent Water officials who are investigating into why the flood happened.

She said: "We had a visit from Severn Trent, they asked for details and took photos, that's the first time I have been visited by them directly.

"They said they are investigating why it happened. The flood shaft they installed in 2018 is working, but they are investigating why it didn't stop the flood this time."

Severn Trent Water responds to families' concerns over sewage water flooding their homes in Willenhall

A statement issued by Michael Keenan, network operations lead at Severn Trent, said: "We know how distressing any form of flooding can be and we are very sorry to the residents of Farmbridge Close and Grenville Close.

"This is a complicated issue that may require several partners working together to come up with a long-term solution.

"As a matter of urgency, a team attended the site on Friday afternoon and the pumps were operating as they should as well as finding no issues with the shaft tank. We will continue our investigations and speak with residents directly to find the root cause of the flooding."