Elderly neighbours living in sheltered housing in Liden could not shower or flush their toilets for days after a drain in their hallway overflowed.

Sewage bubbled up from the pipes in Derryck Evans House on Thursday, and residents were advised not to use anything connected to the building's plumbing until the issue is resolved.

One woman, who did not wish to be identified, described how she had to traverse the unsanitary corridor full of urine, fecal matter, and toilet paper to get to the communal laundry room and showers. 

Swindon Advertiser: The overflowing drain has now been fixed but some of the mess remains in the hallwayThe overflowing drain has now been fixed but some of the mess remains in the hallway (Image: From public)

She said: "The smell is awful, it stinks, and the sewage has gone into two flats. The hallway is disgusting that I vomited after going out to do my laundry.

"I would normally have my grandsons over for dinner on the weekends but they couldn't come this time because it's not safe, it's a biohazard.

"The maintenance team came straight away but then said they couldn't do anything to fix it yet, and we didn't get any idea of when they would be back because quotes for the work need to be signed off by management first.

"The warden is on holiday so people keep coming to me instead to ask what's going on but I don't know. We pay our fees, we shouldn't have to put up with this.

"I've asked Sanctuary but had no proper answers, it feels like they keep palming me off and they don't care.

"It's really unpleasant and stressful."

After the Adver contacted the housing association that manages the block of flats, Metro Plumbing workers visited the accommodation and began carrying out repairs.

A spokesperson for Sanctuary said in a statement earlier this week: “We arranged for a specialist contractor to investigate this issue as soon as it was reported to us on Thursday, March 9.

"While operatives were unable to fully resolve the problem during the visit, the additional work required is being completed on Tuesday, March 13.

“We have been in touch with our residents to ensure the issue was manageable in the short-term and will arrange for deep cleaning to be carried out on site once the repairs are completed.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, the hallway is mostly clear of filth, though there are remnants of poo and toilet paper near the drain cover, which now has a yellow cone placed on top of it.