To ask neighbour not to use their 'tiny house'

[Notnowjo]

My neighbour has a huge house and a small additional dwelling in her back garden, we think it's used when family and friends come to stay. It's pretty small like a studio so couldn't really be lived in long term. It's not attached to the main house. She has 5 bedrooms, multiple bathrooms, 1 teenage boy so space isn't an issue

We discovered yesterday that all the dirty sewage & water from this studio has been draining across our property for the last 3-4 months.
It filters through a large garden (hers then ours) and our retaining wall then across our garden (gravity!)

It has taken her over 2 months to get a draining guy to look at it, it took him about 15 minutes to find the issue (yes we have been continually reminding her)

This morning I'm disappointed to see another stream of water across our patio, I think they shouldn't use the water in the studio until the problem is fixed.

Am I being unreasonable to ask her not to use the studio?

This thread is so weird.
Lots of people kindly giving advice, which probably totally useless. Because the OP still hasn't said which country they live in.

This. And in the meantime we're going to have the same advice re the council and Environmental Health ad nauseum because people refuse to RTFT.

I’d be tempted to shit in a bucket and throw it over the fence every day until she sorts it.

Do you have legal cover with your house insurance?

I'm wondering if a solicitors letter and threat of small claims court may assist them with prioritising dealing with it?

I agree with all those saying contact the environmental health office at the council. I did this when there was a similar problem next door to me.The council were on it very quickly and issued an order to the owner of the building.

What the neighbours are doing is causing pollution (poollution as we used to call it at work!). Its illegal, she could get prosecuted. It's obvious there's a drainage problem with her garden room - it probably has no connection to a sewer at all.

I would be as mad as hell, but then this is my profession, so polluting it's a touchy point...!

I'm very sorry that your neighbour is being so objectionable OP. It will be horrific if it turns out that it is actual sewage that is leaking, I wonder if your neighbour knows for certain whether it is or not. Either way, once they (the neighbour) was alerted to the leak by you (I am sure they already knew unless they never use their garden, but you can't prove that) they should have immediately contacted a plumber - or the equivalent in your Country - to find out the cause, and then fix it. If it is sewage then they should pay specialist's in this area to make sure that your garden is either clear of all traces of it, or at least neutralised if that is possible.

It should be them or their insurers who pay for any necessary remedial work, not you. I do think that if your Country has some sort of Environmental Health Authority (and surely if you live anywhere that isn't a tiny Island nation, or communist - because I have very little real idea how communist regimes work, except very badly for the majority of it's citizens - then it must have some sort of way of dealing with any environmental health issues), that you should contact them as soon as possible, if you haven't already done so. Good luck with getting this sorted ASAP now. Please come back and tell us how it is going OP 💐

@Notnowjo

Drainage guy said it was ‘dirty’ water, he would need to put a camera down the pipe to see where the hole/holes were. He said poop and paper would all have flowed out underground and be in the ground.

I have a family member who is a wastewater engineer and I asked them about this.I was told that it may be true that the, ahem, 'solids' might have been caught in the soil. However, the water wouldn't be simply 'dirty'. It would be contaminated with fecal bacteria such as eColi, along with other nasties such as liquified human waste and urine. The lack of smell means nothing. It's by no means 'safe' and presents an environmental hazard. Those telling you to contact your Environmental Health Dept are absolutely correct and you should do it now. If nothing else they should come out right away and test this runoff for contaminants.

He said that where he lives (we're all in the US) IF the water is contaminated the property owner would be required to cap or shut off the supply to the broken drain until it's repaired. They'd be issued a 'fix-it ticket' and given 30-60 days, depending on the size of the problem, to show it's been fixed and the City doesn't care how much you have to pay. If they don't comply, the City sends out their own crew to fix it and charges the owner an exorbitant price + a huge fine.

Leaks containing sewage or sewage 'run off' are no joke. Recently sewer plants in New York City have found Polio, Covid, Hepatitis and other bacteria/viruses in the untreated sewer water at their treatment plants.

.

Whoever put the sewage system in that's shoddy workmanship that. Report to the council they might not even have planning permission for it. All has to be fully checked and passed to check if it's habitable. Sounds like either a DIY job or cowboy builder's.

Report her and that poxy shack to everyone

This really. Just specific to the county/country you live in.

A friend of mines had sewage flood her garden and it was being walked into the house. Neighbours had been putting what they thought was flushable toilet wipes down the toilet. Yes they flush but cause problems further down the system. It was my friend that got the water company out thinking the problem was with they're wastewater. Luckily she's insured.

And that helps the drainage problem, how ………….?

Something else that may help is contacting your local Health Protection dept for "advice". (Ring local hospital switchboard) When you speak to them it may be admin staff; ask for it to be put onto Hp Zone as an enquiry re raw sewage spill incident.
They won't come out and do anything but they will contact environmental health and anyone else with an interest to ensure this is sorted and check up on progress

You need to call the council for advice asap. Say neighbours wont do anything as it doesnt affect them bt theyre causing it and its a health hazard. The small house should be condemned for the time being until its sorted.

My husband works for a waterboard. He says get in touch with your waterboard and report the leak. They’ll come and look at it and work out what’s going on. They’ll also know if your neighbour has acted illegally in any way.

They need to stop using that toilet immediately until the issue is fixed especially as they now know that the pipes from that area are where the problem is.
The hand washing water etc is reasonably ok as it is ‘grey water’, many catch it & use it for watering plants etc, BUT the toilet water with urine & excrement in it is a biohazard & she can be seriously fined for continuing to allow the sewage to flow despite knowing of the issue!
Seek legal advice & information from environmental health now as sewage carries serious disease implications & yes your animals & kids have been trailing it through your home 😬

Report it to the council !!

She needs to compensate you for this disgusting repeated occurrence. Appalling. Selfish, ignorant, cow. CF.

They'll be made to sort the mess out and maybe demolish it.