Site hit by sick bug after drains overflow Raw sewage seeped up underTravellers’chalets
Residents of a Traveller caravan site near Perth have been sick with diarrhoea and vomiting after a four-day overflowing sewage situation.
They are furious they were not helped sooner when liquid human waste encircled homes at the 20-caravan Double Dykes settlement near Ruthvenfield Industrial Park.
Carpets were ruined and children’s toys had to be dumped after backed up drains overspilled into driveways, flooded grass verges and spread across the shared road access between the statics.
The council was first alerted by residents the drains were blocked on Sunday evening, September 8.
Raw sewage began seeping out from under the raised chalets, backing up into toilets and at one point, grey water was coming out of the taps.
A rising mess covered one backyard, lifting up bikes and plastic ride-on toys.
Sunday’s SOS call to the council housing team resulted in a private drains company coming out, but not until Tuesday.
But the private contractors from Glasgow were unable to fix the problem and the dirty flood continued.
Scottish Water was first alerted on Tuesday but was not obliged to help as the waste system at the settlement was deemed the responsibility of the site operator, Perth and Kinross Council.
On Wednesday morning, housing officers attended a packed meeting called by caravan park residents, but families complained these officers did not inspect the damage to homes.
The private drains contractors came back and were successful in fixing the blockage on Wednesday afternoon.
On Thursday, official messages from PKC were circulated, telling residents to keep children and adults off the shared grass until it could be disinfected, to keep infants and pets inside and to report any symptoms of sickness to their GP.
The same day, The PA spoke to residents trying to clean up the sewage. There was still evidence of toilet paper and human waste on the communal walkways.
No environmental team had been in to spray infected road surfaces and grass.
One parent told us: “I’m sick and my three children are sick too, we’ve had severe diarrhoea, still got it.
“My second child has bad asthma attacks and allergies, he’s weak.
“I’m totally horrified, we’ve had this muck everywhere. My house is never going to be clean again.
“I’m just six weeks with a brand new carpet, it will have to go even though I’ve paid up six months.
“No amount of disinfectant is going to make me feel its ok to let them play on the carpet now.”
Her next door neighbour said of her 17-year-old son, who due to an existing medical condition has to be fed through a tube: “It’s hard enough getting food down him as it is, but he’s been ill, vomiting since the drains exploded.
“I think it’s really shocking the council didn’t fix it. Everyone I know has had severe diarrhoea and vomiting germs are going round.”
A spokesperson for Scottish Water said: “Following reports of blocked drains received from residents at Double Dykes Caravan Park on Tuesday, September 10, our local team attended on Wednesday 11 and confirmed that there is no issue affecting the public sewer that serves the site.
“The drains within the caravan park are the responsibility of Perth and Kinross Council as the site owner and we understand that the council is working to resolve the situation.”