Q. How many Severn Trent workers does it take to change a light bulb?

[Lye Grumbler]

A. 18 so far….
Except unfortunately the problem is not a light bulb, it is a sewage leakage into our cellar, and poisonous sewage gas leaking into our house. Severn Trent have been aware of this since 14th July, and aware the sulphur type smell is making us feel ill, but have failed to take it seriously sending 11 people with sticking plaster solutions. Each time they came they did not even know what the problem was, and we had to re explain the issues. I have made no less than 30 phone calls to get this far. We finally had the phone call we had been waiting for on Friday 18th July; someone is going to find out what the cause is and do a risk assessment. However in the mean time we have to live with the smell, not knowing what effects this is having on us all weekend, as they will not come out until Monday.
As a result of there failure over the last 12 years to help the previous occupier of the home, and update their seriously under capacity sewerage system our house smells of something unmentionable, and so does pretty much everything in it. Our carpets have been ruined by 11 pairs of feet walking sewage through the house.
The workers who have visited are not at fault, it is the management and schedulers in head office who have poor customer service and communication skills (one laughed at my health concerns).
The only reason they started to do something was because of our local MP and the very kind ladies in her office, and a gentleman called David from the consumer council of water. The response I received to my complaint was quite insulting.
As yet we still have not had the cause of the problem fixed (they have dug a hole to find that even they do not know where their own pipes run), and now the whole street smells of sewage.
Today they have changed their mind yet again about what needs to be done, it wont help us at all!

[Surfer01]

We have a problem with our water which is undrinkable since we moved in to the premises on 05/05/08 and the resposne from Severn Trent is nearly identical to yours. How on earth do you get them to do anything?

[Lye Grumbler]

Have you tried contacting your local MP? I also spoke to CCwater who are helpfull.
It has helped, however they seem to be just pretending to do something.
Threaten them with the national press?!
My main problem is health related as we were left breathing in Hydrogen sulphide for over 5 days, it may have not been strong, but it made us have headaches, sore throats and tiered. They still have not apologised. you could try enviromental health?
Its poor they have left you like that for so long.

[berrti]

You may want to try contacting environmental health about the H2S as the HSE state that headaches (from H2S) happen at a concentration between 150 and 200 ppm and that the exposure limits are 5ppm for an 8 hour period and 10 ppm for only 15 minutes

try looking here for more info
http://www.hse.gov.uk/foi/internalop.../spctosd30.pdf

Although the HSE only deal with industrial exposure, I'm pretty sure that legal limits for civil exposure will be similar.