AIBU to not want my dc walking through human waste?

[PrettyGrim]

There's a drain very close to my dcs school that has overflowed due to the recent rain. The pavement is now covered with toilet paper and human poo. The children are having to walk through this on the way to school as there's no pavement on the other side of the road.

I called Anglian Water today (who run the sewers in our area), they told me they are aware of problems in the area and are working hard to sort them out. Any idea when that will be? No.

I phoned our local council. Not our responsibility, they said. You need to speak to Anglian Water. I explained that I disn't expect them to clear the drain, but the pavement is covered in mess. Surely that's a bit their responsibility? No, apparently not.

The school say they know it's awful, but they can't do anything to clean it up.

So, really I need to go down there myself, don't I? With bleach, hot water and a stiff broom.

AIBU to wish that someone would do something or am I being a bit precious about all the children walking through human excrement to get to school?

Have you tried Environmental Health?

No, I haven't. Good idea. Thank you.

Failing that the local paper.

Do you think they'd be interested? Now I've actually posted this, I'm wondering if IABU. I could have tried to clean it up myself. Ugh. The thought of doing that makes me shudder though.

Agh! Now I'm doubting my own right to be annoyed.

OMG that's awful!

The council do (or at least should) have to take responsibility for keeping the pavements safe to walk on. I would call environmental health too. Take pictures if you can and encourage others to call the council as well. Maybe if enough people complain they will do something.

Call the council don't go near it yourself

You're not being precious at all.

The DC will have shit on shoes then be dragging it all through the classrooms, unless they have wellies they can change out of. And, lots of children play with their shoes when they are sitting on the carpet etc. It's a bloody health hazard.

I'd be ringing the paper TBH.

Thanks, everyone. I'm off to do the school run now and take some pictures. (Not ones that will make the family albums!) The woman at the council was so dismissive and uninterested.

And landofsoapandglory, I've had those thoughts too. On the shoes, on the carpet where they all sit for storytime and lunch. Just revolting.

The paper would definitely be interested. It's a serious health hazard.

We have to brave our local poo flood too every 6 months or so, and nobody here cares either. We walk round the long muddy way to avoid it. I have told people coming the other way before about the state of the path and they say they know and they just walk through it

When I said no one cares I meant environmental health, water company, council not the school mums, just to be clear.

Yes the papers would be interested I'm sure.

I'm very surprised the school didn't ring them.

Try the council again. If you just got a customer services bod then they may just try to fob you off. Drain ownership's a bit odd and depends on where the drain is. The council is responsible for street cleaning though so ask for that department (it might be waste and recycling) and request that they send out a street cleaning crew.

You have every right to be annoyed so YANBU

I'll call the council again. I think I was fobbed off and, unfortunately, I caved.

I took a couple of pictures this afternoon. It's not as bad as it was, but presumably that's because loads of it has been picked up and carried away on children's shoes. Nasty.

Some friends and I thought we might call the local paper and get them to take some photos of us cleaning it up wearing Daily Mail 'sad faces'.

I joke, but this has actually made me pretty cross.

I would definitely ring the paper, explain you don't want to be in the picture though.

I can't understand why the council can't be involved in what is a health hazard.

It is odd. I would have thought it was a health hazard too. Then again, one of my friends pointed out that the pavements are covered in all sorts of filth.

Still, human waste seems a bit worse somehow.

Our council send someone to clear the piles of dog shit left outside school - I'm sure they'd do the same for human shit!

Strange, I thought sewer waste and drainage water went into different drains...

Squeaky, I'm not exactly sure what you're getting at. I have absolutely no idea of the technicalities of the drainage system. All I know is that there are a lot of drains overflowing round this area and this particular one is obviously connected to a toilet somehow.

Maybe it's even a cesspit. I don't know. I only know that it's pretty revolting.

No cesspit! Septic tank.

What was the outcome OP?