Mums desperate plea to bring her children home after sewage floods their bathroom

A Crosby mother says her two young children have been forced to stay with their grandmother after sewage flooded the bathroom of their housing association home, leaving her desperately seeking help to make the property safe again.

The mother, who has asked to remain anonymous, lives in an L23 property managed by One Vision Housing with her two children, aged just eight and ten.

What began as a blocked toilet on Saturday has turned into an extremely distressing situation, with the family now separated and the mother fearing that sewage contamination beneath her bathroom floor could pose a risk to their health.

She has contacted Crosby Bubble in the hope that someone in authority will listen and help her bring her children home.

A blocked toilet that turned into a serious problem

The problems began on Saturday afternoon when the family’s only toilet started filling with water every time it was flushed.

The mother contacted One Vision Housing’s emergency repairs service at approximately 2pm.

Contractors attended promptly but were unable to completely remove the blockage.

A specialist drainage company, Metro Rod, was subsequently called and attended at approximately 10pm.

However, according to the mother, the contractors explained that they did not have the necessary equipment available over the weekend to fully clear the obstruction.

Although they managed to remove some of the waste, they warned that the toilet was likely to block again.

Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened.

By Sunday, the toilet was once again completely blocked, with waste water rising to the top of the bowl.

The mother contacted One Vision Housing again, and Metro Rod returned. However, she says she was told that the blockage could not be properly cleared until Monday, when the necessary equipment would be available.

Throughout this time, the family had no usable toilet.

Sewage begins leaking into the downstairs property

On Monday morning, the mother contacted One Vision Housing to explain the urgency of the situation.

She says she was informed that the housing association had received the contractor’s report but that approval from a surveyor could take up to 48 hours.

She explained that this was unacceptable because her family had no access to a functioning toilet.

Later that afternoon, while she was at work, the situation became considerably worse.

Her downstairs neighbour contacted her to report that brown water was leaking through the ceiling and into the walls of the property below.

When the mother returned home, she discovered that sewage had overflowed into her bathroom, leaving the floor covered in contaminated waste.

She contacted One Vision Housing again.

According to her account, contractors attended and partially cleared the blockage but left the contaminated waste on the bathroom floor.

Contractors reportedly warn of sewage beneath the floor

On Tuesday morning, Metro Rod returned and successfully cleared the blockage.

However, the mother says the contractors identified a further serious concern.

She states that their report to One Vision Housing warned that contaminated sewage water, commonly referred to as black water, had entered beneath the bathroom flooring.

According to the mother, the contractors recommended that the affected area be properly cleaned and replaced as soon as possible.

Black water can contain harmful bacteria and other microorganisms, and sewage contamination requires appropriate assessment and cleaning.

The mother says she contacted One Vision Housing expecting urgent action.

Instead, she claims someone attended with a mop bucket and a bottle of pine disinfectant and wiped over the bathroom floor.

She remains deeply concerned that this has not addressed the possible contamination beneath the flooring.

Two children unable to return home

The mother says she has been told that work to replace the bathroom flooring is scheduled for 25 November, approximately five weeks after the original incident.

She is particularly worried because the bathroom is the family’s only toilet and bathing facility.

Her two children, aged eight and ten, have been staying with their grandmother since Monday because she does not believe it is safe for them to return until the contamination has been properly assessed and dealt with.

She says no surveyor has attended her property to assess the full extent of the damage.

She also reports that a surveyor who visited her downstairs neighbour indicated that the flats were safe to occupy while awaiting repairs.

However, she is seeking reassurance that the possible sewage contamination beneath her bathroom floor has been fully investigated and that her children can safely use the facilities.

A mother asking for urgent help

This mother is not asking for anything unreasonable.

She wants her children back home, access to safe bathroom facilities and reassurance that the property is free from potentially harmful sewage contamination.

She has already spent several days trying to resolve the situation through the housing association’s emergency repairs service.

Now she feels she has nowhere else to turn.

Crosby Bubble is calling for urgent intervention

We believe the circumstances described deserve immediate attention.

We are asking One Vision Housing to urgently review this case, arrange an appropriate inspection of the affected bathroom and provide the family with a clear explanation of what action will be taken.

If the property cannot be confirmed as safe while the necessary work is completed, we would also ask the housing association to consider suitable temporary accommodation for the mother and her children.

We would welcome assistance from Sefton Council’s relevant housing and environmental health teams in ensuring that the reported contamination and any potential health risks are properly assessed.

We appreciate that repairs sometimes require specialist contractors and that work cannot always be completed immediately.

However, where sewage contamination is suspected and young children are unable to return to their family home, we believe the situation warrants urgent consideration rather than a routine repair appointment several weeks away.

These children should not have to remain separated from their mother any longer than necessary.

We are sharing this mother’s experience in the hope that the appropriate people will recognise the urgency of her circumstances and help bring about a safe resolution.

Crosby Bubble would welcome a response from One Vision Housing and will gladly provide the housing association with the resident’s details privately, with her permission, so the matter can be investigated without compromising her anonymity.

If anyone from One Vision Housing or Sefton Council’s relevant housing teams can assist, please contact Crosby Bubble.

Our priority is simple: helping this family get the support they need so that two young children can return to a safe home with their mum.