Sewage leak in retirement complex leaves elderly lady ‘struggling to breathe’ months later

Months of sewage contamination has sparked a doctor’s concern for an elderly lady’s health.Vivian McNamara, 81, who lives at the Minster Court retirement housing complex in Lynn, claims she now “struggles to catch a breath” after Amplius, the housing association responsible for the facility, failed to disinfect a sewage leak.However, the provider insists this is not the case – and that its health and safety officer visited the over-55s site and had no concerns regarding hygiene.

A blocked drain saw the ground floor of the building flooded with faeces and toilet paper on the morning of March 23.“I have never smelled anything so bad in my life – it was disgusting,” Ms McNamara told the Lynn News.When plumbers finally came to fix the issue hours later, waste water was spilling out, and her parquet wooden floorboards had started to lift.

Amplius then tasked contractors, as well as its on-site cleaner, to do an environmental clean, and the floorboards were taken up. But months later, they have still not been replaced, and Ms McNamara believes it is dangerous to walk on.“They haven’t relayed the floor, and they should have deep-cleaned it sooner,” she added. “I kept getting chest infections, and I can’t breathe.”

She says the smell still lingers in the building and even caused her to miss out on Mother’s Day celebrations.“My son and grandchildren were meant to come and visit me but they couldn’t because of the awful contamination,” she added“I never get to see them, and I get so lonely.”

Following her worsening health conditions, Ms McNamara sought medical advice. She received a letter from her GP Dr Agra Rajapaskse, expressing concern about the living situation and the impact that the sewage leak was having on her.“Her respiratory issues have gotten worse, her anxiety and agitation have gotten worse, and the itching of her body has gotten worse,” it read.

“She lives alone, and her family visiting with the grandkids helps her mental well-being, but due to the health hazard, this has stopped now.”Both the doctor and Ms McNamara are calling for the housing association to treat the situation as a matter of urgency.“I keep calling and they keep fobbing me off – it’s dangerous,” the resident said. “According to Google, it should have been surgically cleaned, and we should have been evacuated.”She added that the lack of floorboards is a trip hazard for those living there, and she is “desperate” for something to be done.“We pay a service charge of £25 for maintenance, but honestly, I don’t see where it’s going,” she said.Amplius has confirmed that it will be installing non-slip flooring later this month. “If Ms McNamara is concerned that there are new cleanliness issues in her block, we’d encourage her to contact us so that this can be raised with our contractors,” a spokesperson added.“We’ll also continue to offer any support required by Ms McNamara.”