Norwich City Council apologise for Dereham Road flat sewage

Katie Burden lives in Dereham Road with her son Arlo and first noticed her bathroom was overflowing with waste on the evening of Saturday, July 8 and called the council to report it.

But after being told to call the next day, Katie and her son had to live in filth for a week before Norwich City Council could get out to fix the issue.

Katie first realised there was something wrong on Saturday evening, July 8 (Image: Katie Burden)

READ MORE: Thorpe Island sewage leak to be fixed by Broadland Council

The 22-year-old said: "I was told there was an issue with the drains and pipes outside the block of flats but the council couldn't do anything until July 14.

"There was wastewater, filled with poo and even sanitary products, blocking the toilet.

"Every time my neighbours flushed their toilet it would come out of mine - my floor was covered in filth.

"I had to use all my towels to try and soak it up.

Katie Burden, 22, with her three-year-old son Arlo (Image: Katie Burden)

"Arlo is autistic and all his sensory bath toys were ruined as well.

"It literally made me feel nauseous having to try and clean everything up while making sure my son and pets were staying away from it all."

A Norwich City Council spokeswoman said: "The leak was clearly upsetting and distressing for everyone in the household and we're very sorry we weren't able to fix the problem faster.

The sewage has ruined all of Arlo's sensory bath toys (Image: Katie Burden)

READ MORE: Norwich folk complain of foul smell from Anglian Water site

"Our out-of-hours contractors couldn't fix the scaled pipe at the property at the same time as they cleared the blockage.

"The repair required equipment that was not immediately available but our contractor was able to return two days later to complete the repair."

While the issue has finally been resolved, Katie is still frustrated at the treatment she received, adding: "I'm so upset and angry.

Arlo's sensory bath toys were also ruined due to the pipe issues (Image: Katie Burden)

"It got to the point where I just sobbed my eyes out because no one was helping me or my little boy.

"I kept trying to call the council to help and telling them how bad it was, but they just kept saying they couldn't do anything."

The week long wait Katie had to endure at her home made her feel nauseous (Image: Katie Burden)