Sewage Outside my Front Door

foggy_lad

My upstairs neighbours have had a blockage in their toilet and they called in some cowboy in a van to fix it. This guy has left the path right outside my front door covered in sewage from the toilet waste pipe. he cut into the bend in the waste pipe and has been pumping water back up into the pipe to wash out the blockage and the sewage has been pouring out and dropping from a height onto the path.

This Cowboy doesn't even have a hose or power-washer to wash away the sewage or clean up his poxy mess!

I rang the estate agents who rent the place out and they knew nothing about this repair guy but wondered why the tenants wouldn't ring Dyno-rod or another proper drain clearing company? The estate agents were not really any help with a promised callback not happening.

Is there any regulations about fixing toilet drain pipes or even cleaning up sewage when the work is done?

Would the HSA be interested as the guy wasn't wearing any protective clothing and didn't have his ladder secured or the area blocked off and I was not informed before they started working on this.

Graham

Local council environment department would be my first call. With the reg. of the vehicle.

Assuming your location is correct: http://www.carlow.ie/all-council-services/environment there's a freephone number

foggy_lad

The cowboy has left but the smell and fecal material remains! a miserable attempt was made to sweep the fecal matter away but they just swept it into the gravel beside the path. also the waste pipe which had been dismantled has not been replaced properly so will most likely leak!

K.Flyer

Knock on the offending neighbours door and ask them to remove their mess from in front of your door citing risk to health and environment which they are now responsible for.
It is their responsibility to ensure that the work was completed and any spillages removed and the area disinfected to prevent spread of disease and germs.

Miaireland

Do you own or rent? If you rent I would get the landlord to chase it up as well.

seagull

I'd imagine a stunt like that has to be breaking a load of regulations. It might be worth dropping into the local garda station and asking them. They'll probably direct you to the environmental division at the local council, but it won't hurt to have it on record.

foggy_lad

This is the operation yesterday, all the sludge was just swept onto the gravel and left there, there is still loads along by the wall of the house and some even splattered on my door and wheelie bin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0j7W2aWOG8

And some pictures of the state of it today
https://1drv.ms/i/s!AvEzMgQpZmhvohNOJdGg8JtTK_eI

https://1drv.ms/i/s!AvEzMgQpZmhvohG9TgJLvPQRtrPW
https://1drv.ms/i/s!AvEzMgQpZmhvohJ6h7DenwCsou5F
https://1drv.ms/i/s!AvEzMgQpZmhvohCCDWbmi4Tleuf-

seagull

seagull wrote: »

I'd imagine a stunt like that has to be breaking a load of regulations. It might be worth dropping into the local garda station and asking them. They'll probably direct you to the environmental division at the local council, but it won't hurt to have it on record.

The guards are not going to even take note of a call like that never mind put it on any official record.

foggy_lad

Hank Rhythmic Pup wrote: »

The guards are not going to even take note of a call like that never mind put it on any official record.

The estate agents/property managers are not taking any notice either!


Update: Just off the phone with the property management agent and he got very defensive telling me that the handyman was very professional despite not warning me that he would be working on a ladder outside my front door pulling human shoite out of a pipe, and that there was a good turnaround in the repair etc and that if the job had not been done when it was it would have come through the precast concrete ceiling:D:D It was all about their client the renters and their repairman and nothing about the inconvenience to me!

he said it was too late to clean up the sewage last night at 5:30pm but they had got a hose and washed most of it away, they simply swept it into the gravel!

He did say that someone would be out to clean up the mess soon but I won't hold my breath on that!

the_syco

foggy_lad wrote: »

he said it was too late to clean up the sewage last night at 5:30pm but they had got a hose and washed most of it away, they simply swept it into the gravel!

He did say that someone would be out to clean up the mess soon but I won't hold my breath on that!

Contact the HSE, or the link that Graham mentioned below. I'm sure they'll have a field day with whats happened.

foggy_lad

Guy outside now cleaning it up after I had to call the council and the water/sewage department spoke with the property agents. thankfully all cleaned up and disinfected now!