I've been forced out of my home five times and I'm sickened by what keeps coming inside

For the last 12 months, Andrew Gibney has been forced out of his home on five separate occasions, due to faeces and urine backing up through his toilet, sewage water running down his walls and through his ceilings, and dirty pools covering most of the flooring.

Andrew said he was living comfortably at his Livv Housing flat in Kirkby, but the ongoing leaks, floods and health risks are making his life impossible, he added: “Since last year, someone has been blocking our drains with wet wipes.

“As a result, all our toilets have been overflowing, and backing up. It’s flooding through the sinks, through the ceilings, down the walls, sewage water is seeping in everyday.

“It’s happened nine times in the last 12 months. It’s been disgusting. We’ve had airborne bacteria and also faeces all over my house on a number of occasions.

“I’m struggling with my own life, I have a disability, and have mental health issues myself. Life is hard anyway, but with the stress of this at home, it’s depressing and really got on top.”

Andrew said he has made multiple reports to Livv Housing about the conditions in his flat, and made complaints about those responsible for the wet wipes blocking the drains. He was assured the responsible party would be contacted, while Livv Housing’s maintenance teams have previously completed a deep clean and fixes to damaged areas of the property.

However, Andrew said the problems persist, he added: “I’ve been moved out into temporary accommodation five times because of this problem. Five times in the last year, including just before Christmas. It’s an environmental health issue and nothing is being done about it.

“No one is solving the problem, and it’s not just me, it’s affecting people all up down the block and on the road here because the main drain is just filled up with these wipes.

“They’ve been out before in mine, done a deep clean and fixed things up. I was told that it wouldn’t happen again. Lo and behold, I come back and it happens again, and again and again. It’s been a living hell.

“They need to address it properly and get it stopped because the place is awful right now.

“I’m getting sick, the smell is awful as well. I have carers coming around and they’re sick with it as well.”

After contacting Livv Housing on Andrew’s behalf, a spokesperson for the housing association told the LDRS: “We are aware of the customer’s concerns and understand the distress this situation has caused. The health, safety and wellbeing of our customers is our priority, and we take issues of this nature very seriously.

“We are actively engaging with our customers and working across our teams to manage the situation appropriately, including exploring suitable options to prevent further issues and support the customer involved.

“We, as ever, remain committed to reaching a safe and sustainable resolution.”