A group of residents are kicking up a stink after smelling raw sewage in their homes for the past three months.

East London Advertiser: Residents of McCullum Estate, complain about the smell of sewage coming up through the pipes despite several calls to the housing association.Residents of McCullum Estate, complain about the smell of sewage coming up through the pipes despite several calls to the housing association. (Image: Archant)

Despite allegedly calling Circle Housing Old Ford housing association, which owns the affected houses, repeatedly, many of the tenants of McCullun Road, Bow, are greeted by the putrid stench all hours of the day and night.

Mum-of-two Dawn McLoughlin, 48, insists it’s tough to cope with the continual bombardment of the nostrils.

“It’s absolutely horrible – no one should be living like this,” she told the Advertiser.

“My 12-year-old daughter keeps getting nosebleeds because of the smell.

“The stench stays on your clothes and now the flies have started coming into the house. It’s awful.”

It is thought the stench has been caused by a blockage in the sewer pipes. Tenants say it seems to be seeping through a manhole cover, causing swarms of flies to gather nearby.

Maxine Stanley, 54, first reported the pong to the housing association three months ago and admits the odour has been giving her headaches.

She said: “I woke up one morning and the smell was overpowering, right inside my home – and that was it.

“I suffer from sciatica so I need to keep my home warm, but I have to have my windows open with a smell that bad.”

Dad-of-two Hira Miah, 43, is concerned for the health of his children.

“It’s a very heavy smell, 24 hours a day,” he said, “from the moment you open your eyes to when you’re trying to sleep at night.

“It’s dangerous for the kids to live like this.”

After the Advertiser took up the case, the housing association promised to send a contractor, who was due to visit the pongy block this morning.

Mike Hallimond, regional director of property services for Circle Housing Old Ford said: “Our contractor is attending McCullum Road this morning to address the problem.

“We understand the smell being caused by the drains is unpleasant for our residents. We are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible and keep our residents informed.”

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