A grandmother-of-three fears for the health of her grandchildren after her home was flooded with sewage six times in three months.

Patricia Hooker is at the end of her tether after a drain just outside her kitchen, which serves several households, has overflowed several times.

Water mixed with human waste has poured down the basement stairs and filled the stairwell leading to the kitchen door of her home in Vicarage Crescent, Margate, leaking into the kitchen and wrecking her possessions.

The latest flood happened in the early hours, leaving the entire ground floor coated in sewage and damaging a tumble dryer.

Mrs Hooker, 66, said: "It has been going on for months and it's making my grandchildren ill. I clean as much as I can and I bleach the floors but I'm always worried I've missed something.

"The stench is horrendous and it makes the house smell terrible. It makes me not want to use my kitchen and we can’t afford to eat takeaways every day.

"If there is heavy rain then it's scary because I think I'm going to have to face it all over again, especially when the door starts bending in with the pressure from the filthy water and I’m so worried it'll give way.

"The whole ground floor is affected and I've had to throw away furniture, linen and children's toys."

Mrs Hooker's daughter Anouska and grandchildren 14-year-old Kurtis, Sky, 12, and one-year-old TJ live with her and she is worried that the situation is taking its toll on their health.

She said: "I feel sorry for the kids, TJ has a hole in his heart and he doesn't need any more health problems. We've had to take him to hospital for checks as he's become ill and doctors have said there's a possibility it's because of the floods.

"He's been losing weight and he may have to have more tests."

Mrs Hooker has contacted Southern Water several times since the problem first arose.

She said: "Southern Water told my landlord, Paul Doughty, to leave it to them but nothing has been done apart from sandbags being put against the door.

"They have sent workers to review the problem but they don't seem to know what they're supposed to do.

"I’ve been offered a thorough clean when the situation is resolved but that's no help to me now."

Southern Water has not responded to a request for comment.