Residents living in the south end of Bow Street were woken up today to the pungent smell of leaking sewer drains.
At least three drains in the area have been leaking faecal matter, toilet paper and other raw sewage onto a side road just off the A487 where a row of houses filled with families are living.
According to residents, this isn’t the first time they have dealt with such an issue.
One of these drains sits on the driveway of Brian Sansbury’s property.
He has lived at the property for over 30 years, and remembers problems occurring many times across the last 20 years. In the past, he has had to unblock the drain on his driveway himself.
He said: “There’s raw sewage on my drive, that speaks for itself in terms of the impact it has on us. I’ve opened up the manhole in the past and tried clearing it with rods that I hired. I hose it down too, but what else can I do?”
The issue has forced The Welsh Black Inn owner, Glyn Edwards, to have to close for the day, despite being fully booked today, tomorrow, and the days leading up to Christmas.
“My back garden is full of excrement, and it’s going down to the car park. I can’t use any water in the property, as soon as I do, it leaks straight into the garden out the back.
“I can’t open today, and if it isn’t fixed by today, i can’t open tomorrow. We’re fully booked tomorrow, and nearly fully booked tonight. If I have to close both nights, it’s likely to cost me up to £4,000 in lost revenue.
“It smells awful, and it’s a health hazard. There are families with children who live on this road.”
Though Glyn has only been there for two months, this is not the first time he has faced this issue.
“This happens every four weeks, I had someone here cleaning up the overflow only two weeks ago. But I’ve heard from others that people had issues with it as far back as the early 2000s.”
Local county councillor Paul Hinge said: “There have always been problems in the area, but I went there today and it was disgusting. There’s excrement and toilet paper everywhere.
“Right through the summer, there were continual issues with sewage. In recent weeks, Welsh Waters workers have been here in numbers trying to work with the flow of sewage further north from the area.
“I’ve been told that the pipes are made out of clay, they’re 40, 50 or 60 years old. The sewers can’t cope and it blows everywhere.
“There is a lack of investment by Welsh Water in ensuring we have adequate sewage capacity. I’m not a drain expert, but if it keeps blowing up, something’s wrong.”
The blockage has since been cleared according to Welsh Water.
A spokesperson for the water company added: "We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank people in the area for their understanding while we work to clear the blockage."