Barbers plagued by raw sewage stench
COUNCIL HAS PLEDGED IMMEDIATE ACTION TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM
A BURTON barbers’ shop has been left with a stinky situation due to a rancid drain right outside the front door.
The door to Daren Barbers, in Derby Street, has to be closed constantly, even in hot weather, due to the blocked drain outside the shop.
The drain is filled with yellow water and faeces can sometimes be seen floating in it. Owner Alan Abdulrehman says he has called the council and Severn
Trent Water repeatedly to get the problem sorted.
Mr Abdulrehman said: “It’s been all covered in rubbish and you can see human excrement in it. It just feels like we get shoved from pillar to post. If we have heavy rainfall it will be in the door – that’s how bad it is and then no one can work.
“It stinks and smells very badly. We’re having to keep the doors closed but we want to let fresh air in. Our customers complain about it and everyone who is coming past can smell it.
“If we leave it like this it will get worse. There are all sorts of nasty things floating in there. It gets worse when the weather is hotter.”
The problem has been ongoing now for three or four months.
It has now emerged the drain is the responsibility of Staffordshire County Council, which says an inspector will be sent out as soon as possible.
David Williams, (pictured inset) Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “We are always grateful to residents and businesses alerting us to any concerns on our roads. We have received an enquiry on gullies in this area and will send an inspector out as soon as possible to investigate. “The gullies in this area are narrow Victorian ones which can silt up more easily. There are also usually cars parked along the road which can obstruct gulley clearing but the teams make every effort to rectify problems as quickly as they can.”
It’s been all covered in rubbish and you can see human excrement in it.
Mr Abdulrehman