Homeowners forced to pay $75K to fix newly-built estates nightmare sewage system

A group of homeowners are fed up after forking out an eye-watering $75,000 — to try to fix a faulty sewage pump on their new-build estate. Over the past year, people living in Castor Park in Allington, Kent have been forced to deal with a series of leaks, blockages, and wastewater overspills.They say they are constantly paranoid about sewage issues — and are growing increasingly concerned about potential health issues posed, particularly for their children. The row of nine properties was built in 2018 by Clarendon Homes after plans were approved by Maidstone Council. Clarendon installed a sewage line and pumps to go with the site — and insists everything was done correctly and it was only recently made aware of the problems. Residents say ever since the properties were sold, responsibility for the maintenance of the waste station has fallen to them — instead of to Southern Water, the utility company they pay in their fees for waste removal. As a result, the nine households have had to spend more than $75,000 on repairs, specialist investigations, and emergency sewage removals — since problems began in December 2023. They have also paid out approximately $20,000 to waste-management service County Clean to have the pumps replaced – and are tasked with scheduling a tanker to remove the sewage build-up every 10 days.Mum-of-one Danielle Ross-Davies, 35, has been organising the waste tankers and blockage removals on behalf of her neighbours.She said: “We are seven years in and shouldn’t be having this problem.“It’s a nightmare.“How are we supposed to find this extra money, especially in the cost of a living crisis? “We are just nine houses with normal jobs.”Her husband Jamie, 36, added: “There’s no light at the end of the tunnel – we do not know when this is going to end.“We can’t let sewage just come up and over, we’ve got to get it removed.“And you can’t sell the houses either, so we’re stuck here.”Residents Nick and ...