Part of an 84-year-old’s home became “unbearable” as a “disgusting” swamp of sewage formed outside.

A patio area outside South Oxhey resident Joyce Malarkey’s back door filled with foul water after a sewer became obstructed at the end of last week.

Thames Water, which is responsible for pipework in the area, attended on New Year’s Eve but was unable to fix the issue. Engineers returned at around 1pm this afternoon (January 4) to drain the area and disinfect it.

Watford Observer: The "swimming pool" of sewage, in South Oxhey.

Joyce described the days living by open sewage as “disgusting” and said the “swimming pool” created “a terrible health situation”.

Water had massed around her conservatory and by the door to her garden. Some is thought to have got into the home through a cat flap as an area by the door was damp.

Describing the situation to the Watford Observer yesterday, she said: “My conservatory is absolutely disgusting, it stinks to high heaven."

“The downstairs toilet… you can’t use it. The smell in there is just unbearable,” she added.

“I’m on my own, I’m 84, and I’m just grateful I have all my faculties.

“I don’t know what I’d do otherwise, but I should not have to go through this, nobody should.”

The home is four properties away from a field with allotments, which the foul water is believed to have flowed from.

Watford Observer: The "swimming pool" of sewage, in South Oxhey.

Earlier today, after being approached by the Watford Observer yesterday, a Thames Water spokesperson said: “We are very sorry to hear that one of our customers has been impacted by sewer flooding at their property in Ashford Green, South Oxhey.

“Our engineers attended on Sunday December 31 and located an obstruction in the sewer which they were unfortunately unable to clear.

“While arranging for our teams to reattend, we were yesterday in touch with the customer who advised us that they’d experienced further flooding outside their property.

Watford Observer: The "swimming pool" of sewage, in South Oxhey.

“We’d like to reassure the customer that a clean-up has been arranged and that our engineers will work to investigate and resolve the issue.”

This clean up has now taken place, and Joyce said she was glad she will be able to go to the back door tomorrow and see “nothing”.

The 84-year-old says she was told that Thames Water will need to return tomorrow to try to deal with the source of the issue.