A nasty problem

[Wimbles]

I rent just over 4 acres and some stables with my friend and we love it there but with all this heavy rain we have encountered a problem.

there's a man hole cover in one of the fields and when it has rained heavily then raw sewage runs out of it which is pretty unpleasant, in fact friend has just text me to say that the pony had got out into this specific field and was found chewing on a sanitary towel (i feel sick even typing that)

I am worried about complaining about it as I don't want the land owner to get the hump if she has to pay out because we made a fuss.

Just wondering if anybody had some good advice as to what I should do if anything?

 

[*hic*]

Ring the landowner on the lines of "Oh my goodness your poor field, it's got raw sewage running on it, did you know!" rather than barging in with "I feel sick, your drains are disgusting". Then you haven't made a fuss, you're letting her know because you're worried for her.

 

[Baileyhoss]

EEEUUUCK!

I would let the land owner know. It's illegal to have raw sewage seeping out like that.
He might appreciate you letting him know before someone reports it to SEPA. You certainly can't ignore it, think of the smell, disease, flies etc.

In the meantime, I would electric tape off the area from the horses.

 

[Saucisson]

ooooooh, you've just picked my area of expertise (ish).

You can complain to the Environment Agency as raw sewage is generally considered to be a pollutant and could enter rivers/streams etc and affect the wildlife there. Oh, and it pongs

However, you really need to know if is an "adopted" sewer (under the jurisdiction of your local sewerage authority eg Severn Trent, Anglian Water) or if it is private. If adopted, it is for the authority to sort it out and pay - if private, the landowner. There are a few out there that are the responsibility of the local council aswell.

You could ask the landowner first, she might know? Otherwise, you could contact your local authority/water company?

Hope this helps, I've had the pleasure of looking down a fair few stinky manholes in my time – watch out for the MEGA spiders

 

[Kenzo]

Ring the landowner on the lines of "Oh my goodness your poor field, it's got raw sewage running on it, did you know!" rather than barging in with "I feel sick, your drains are disgusting". Then you haven't made a fuss, you're letting her know because you're worried for her.

Ditto above, sounds like a good plan, hope you get it sorted, sorry the chewing on the sanitary towel bit kinda made me chuckle only cos I can imagine that specific cheeky pony doing something like that lol

Good luck in sorting it

 

[Wimbles]

ooooooh, you've just picked my area of expertise (ish).

You can complain to the Environment Agency as raw sewage is generally considered to be a pollutant and could enter rivers/streams etc and affect the wildlife there. Oh, and it pongs

Thanks for the info, very much appreciated. It is currently running straight into the stream at the bottom of the field so I'm thinking the environment agency would be a little concerned.

My other problem is that the land owner is away for two weeks and I can't stand the thought of wallowing in other people's excrement 'till she returns

 

[BigRed]

In our area, most people have private drainage systems, however the local water board installed a new mains sewer which runs under some local fields, in periods of heay rain, this problem happens over and over again. It is not the land owner's fault - it is the water boards, so the land owner does not have to pay anything. As others have said, you need to find out whether this is a private sewage system that is overflowing, or a water authority.

 

[Fransurrey]

We had this problem at home, due to a blocked mains drain. We reported it to the water company, who then tried to say it was OUR blocked drain, until I pointed out that I did not use 'mice with blue tails' and so it MUST have come from the mains. Yup, somebody else's sanitary waste (and condoms) on our front driveway. After a to-ing and fro-ing between two bordering water companies arguing over who owned the bliddy drain (out in the road), one of them unblocked it and problem solved.

So, who's responsibility depends on where the blockage is. I'm guessing that your horses do not have a need for sanitary towels and so the waste must be someone else's, which means that the blockage is off the property. Good luck in getting it sorted. That must be awful!

 

[spotty_pony]

Definitely get something done about it. It's unhygienic for both you and the horses!

 

[3DE]

I hope you get it sorted - that sounds truely awful. Ours is bad enough where the septic tank drains to the field but at least it's only liquids...

 

[michelleice]

mate has a similar problem but hers is with livery i did post up just before you but hey ho

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=376675