A PENSIONER and her family have thanked the Medway Messenger for stepping in and sorting out a blocked drain outside her home in Chatham.

Daisy Bevan had to put up with raw sewage and foul-smelling stenches coming from the drain, which is just yards from her front door in King Street.

The 81-year-old could not get to the bottom of who was responsible for it and after several calls to Medway Council and a water provider, her family contacted our newsroom and the problem was fixed by environmental heath officers in less than 24 hours.

Her daughter Christine Anderson said: "It started smelling and leaking in about September last year.

"Mum called the council’s main number and she was told to call Southern Water, which of course she did."

But Daisy says she was told by the water company that she should go back to Medway Council and ask to speak to environmental health.

Christine added: "Mum did make a call but was getting nowhere, so my daughter made a call to the environmental health department, but still nothing happened."

But Medway Council says it has no record of any calls made by the family, so they contacted the Medway Messenger.

Mrs Anderson said: "We are so grateful to the newspaper as it’s all sorted out now and mum is so pleased.

"She just wanted it fixed and can now walk outside the door without having to look at sewage and put up with that smell.

"We really are so grateful – thank you."

A spokesman for Medway Council said: "Medway’s environmental health team learned about this drainage problem for the first time on Wednesday, January 9.

"We have no record of any contact previously.

"Within half an hour of receiving the details an officer visited the site to investigate the extent of the problem and determine responsibility for clearing the blockage.

"Medway Housing Society (MHS) was contacted on return to the office and they arranged for the blockage to be cleared.

"The council’s environmental health team will always respond as quickly as possible to drainage problems reported to them."