A family have said that they “can’t leave the house” after a massive puddle appeared outside their front gate and no one would take responsibility to clear the water.
Marc Peck, 32, and his wife, Gemma, were shocked when knee-deep water pooled outside their house in Plymouth, Devon.
The couple, who have a nine-year-old daughter, now say there is no way to leave without wading through the cold and dirty water.
Marc has contacted Plymouth City Council, but was told he would have to wait for someone from the Highways Agency to come out and assess the standing water.
Marc, a delivery driver, said: “The only way out of our house is to wade through dirty water and get soaking wet.
“Every time a car drives past too fast it’s like Niagara Falls in my garden.”
“We have called the Highways Agency and South West Water and neither have taken responsibility.”
Gemma said that the council agreed to send someone out, but wouldn’t say when, leaving them trapped in their home until the water has cleared.
In their desperation they contacted South West Water who sent an engineer out to the property.
The couple claim that the engineer waded straight into the massive body of water, which came all the way up to his knees, before deciding that he was not responsible for the flooding.
A spokesperson for South West Water said: “We attended a report of external flooding in Peter’s Park Lane this morning and found two blocked highways gullies – which are the responsibility of the local council.
“As he was on site, our operator tried rodding the gullies to see if this would clear them but they were too blocked. This will be reported to Plymouth City Council.
“While in the vicinity, our operator checked the public sewerage network and found no problems.”
The family, who have lived in the property for four years, say that blocked drains have been a problem for years.
Gemma said: “Whenever it rains the drains will block and the streets will flood, but it has never been this bad before.”
