OVERFLOWING drains are causing a stink for a retired Ipswich couple.Every time Roy and Blossom Clarke's neighbours in Shakespeare Road flush their toilet, sewage bubbles up out of the drains and into their garden.

OVERFLOWING drains are causing a stink for a retired Ipswich couple.

Every time Roy and Blossom Clarke's neighbours in Shakespeare Road flush their toilet, sewage bubbles up out of the drains and into their garden.

Mrs Clarke, 65, said: “It is happening daily, I have to pour a lot of disinfectant into the drain to make the smell bearable.

“Someone from Anglian Water came out just before Christmas and when they left they said they had fixed the problem, but four days later it happened again.”

And Mrs Clarke said she feels like the no one is helping them with their problem, and authorities are trying to pass the buck.

She said: “I have contacted Anglian Water and Ipswich Borough Council and they both blame it on each other and say it is the others' responsibility to sort it out.

“We have lived here for over forty years and it happened once before, years ago - the water board came and unblocked the drain and it didn't happen again until now.

“But this time it seems to keep happening - it is unhygienic and we need it to be fixed but no one seems to be able to get it done.”

No one from Anglian Water was available to comment.

A spokesman for Ipswich Borough Council said: “We are aware of the problem and we are investigating, all we can really say is that it is not straightforward.”

Do you have a long-running problem that authorities seem powerless to help you with? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk