A Hornchurch family is calling for action on sewage repeatedly flooding their home.
Adam Clements brought a property on Squirrels Heath Lane in March this year, and has since suffered multiple incidents of sewage flooding his home.
The 31-year-old lives with his pregnant girlfriend Sophie Williamson, 34, and their baby is due on October 17.
Although he knew there “could be" flooding when purchasing the property, Adam had no idea it would be sewage and was unaware it would happen every time there is a “flash flood of rain”.
He is worried the regular problem will erode the building's foundation and said the sewage manhole in his road "stinks” - and is the same smell which fills his home.
Adam also claims Havering Council has been unresponsive and left drains "full of Tarmac” when resurfacing.
A spokesperson from the authority said it sympathises with the issues Adam faces and “appreciate the frustrations of repeated flooding”.
It is doing all it can to “maintain the rainwater drains”, they said, which use a different system to those dealing with sewage, which is managed by Thames Water.
After carrying out highway maintenance, the council found one gulley may be in need of “excavation” to clear the grate. This will be resolved within the next 10 days, the spokesperson promised.
Adam said: “Every time it rains hard it gives us anxiety. We don’t know what to do and Thames [Water] won’t give us a resolution.”
A Thames Water spokesperson said it understands sewage flooding is “extremely unpleasant” and apologised for it happening “again”.
They said heavy rain can cause the local sewer network to become “overwhelmed” which can cause “wastewater diluted by rainwater to spill out of manholes”.
"We are looking at solutions across our sewer network to mitigate these issues," they added.
“In the meantime, our engineers will carry out an extensive investigation into the sewer serving Mr Clements’ property using cameras to see if there are any other problems such as blockages.”
This comes after flash floods caused havoc in Romford this summer.
READ MORE: A look back at floods which have devastated east London since 2016
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here