A COUPLE who were told to let the sun dry out sewage on their garden could soon have a more permanent solution to their flooding woes.

Tom and Barbara Barrie only found out that their garden in Wyebank Road, Sedbury was liable to fill with raw sewage after they moved in 18 months ago – although other homes have been affected since 2007.

An end to their battle is in sight after water company Welsh Water made plans to install a pumping station on land opposite their home to serve the area.

Tidenham parish council last week agreed to sell the land to Welsh Water to allow the development to go ahead.

Mr Walsh told the council: "If we get a lot of rain the drains overflow and we get sewage in the garden.

"Welsh Water have fobbed us off for 18 months – when we asked them what we should do about sewage in the garden they said not to worry because the sun's rays would break it down naturally.

"I asked for their chief executive's home address so I could dump some of this stuff in his garden but they refused to let me have it."

Mr Walsh said they have a 12-year-old grandson who has a condition called global developmental delay which means he has little understanding of potential dangers.

He added: "He loves water so if the drains did overflow and we didn't know about it, he would go and play in it."

Welsh Water say that during storms the branch sewer behind numbers 55 to 31 cannot discharge resulting in solid material blocking the drain.

Investigations have also found that the drainage run behind Wyebank Road is flat meaning there is no cleansing flow which means there is a greater risk of flooding.

Temporary measures have failed to cure the problem and Welsh Water says a small pumping station is the only solution.

The parish council has been offered £1,500 for 350 square metres of land but Cllr Steve Ford said he was concerned that the station would not solve the problems – and that the council should ask for more money.

Cllr Roy Birch said it was more important to protect people than to get a higher price for the land.

The council was told Welsh Water had submitted a planning application to Gloucestershire County Council which is the planning authority for waste matters.