A FAMILY living in a new-build home are demanding answers after raw sewage flooded their garden seven times in a fortnight.

Malcolm and Helene Brechin believe their three-year-old house in Spennymoor's Burton Woods estate was wrongfully built above a sewer line which this month has overflown into their street and property on several occasions.

VIDEO: The raw sewage, including human waste, which has flooded the garden of the family home 

Since July 6, the parents of three young children have had to wade through knee-high sewage which has covered their garden in human waste, tampon applicators, sanitary towels and condoms.

Despite numerous phone calls and emails to the estate-builder David Wilson Homes and Northumbrian Water, it was only on Saturday, July 22, that a diversion was put in place on the estate to stop the heavy flow of water coming from a manhole in their neighbour's garden.

Mrs Brechin said they had "suffered an enormous amount of stress", while Mr Brechin added: "We've had two weeks of absolute hell and last weekend was the most horrific we've ever had. It just looks as if they should not have been building there in the first place.

"I don't understand why three weeks ago they couldn't have done it. It flooded four times in four days. How can this have been allowed to happen?"

The Brechins believe their property and others including garages nearby in the recently built estate should not have been constructed over the line which is understood to carry waste from elsewhere in the town.

According to the pair, a diversion should have been put in place to link up the system from the new estate with the old one, in order to close it off, ahead of the construction.

Mr and Mrs Brechin, who were forced to dig a trench in their garden on Saturday to divert the flow from their property, have been liaising with both Northumbrian Water and David Wilson Homes in order to find a resolution.

The couple praised Northumbrian Water for help at the weekend but criticised the handling of the matter by both the water supplier and David Wilson Homes.

In a bid to to prevent it happening again, they are now seeking answers as to why the development was built over the line.

"I find it extremely worrying that we were there for three years," added Mr Brechin. "When you buy a house you expect care and due diligence."

A spokesperson for Northumbrian Water said its team worked over the weekend, bringing in pumps and digging trenches.

They have arranged to divert the sewer network away from the development, drain the pipe and have offered to re-landscape the affected area.

They added: "We know that flooding is among the worst things that can happen to someone in their homes, so we wanted to do everything we could to help ensure the home was protected."

A spokesperson from David Wilson Homes North East said they were working to resolve the issue as a matter of urgency, adding: "We know that Northumbrian Water is completing works this week to put a permanent solution in place and a full investigation into the cause of the problem is taking place.

"We are sorry for any inconvenience caused and have arranged for the garden to be thoroughly cleaned and re-turfed, as well disinfecting the road and pavement."