A family in Downley had their festive celebrations spoiled as they had to deal with a cocktail of dirty water and food waste in their bathroom after a troublesome blocked pipe continued to hamper their lives, they said.

Since having a new bathroom and kitchen fitted by Red Kite Community Housing in February last year, Debbie Hall says she has had nothing but problems.

The situation at her property in Brecon Way worsened over Christmas when what she believed to be tiny pieces of salmon came through the plug in her bath.

However, after a number of call outs in the last 11 months, the situation finally seems to have been fixed permanently with a section of piping contain the blockage being replaced.

Mrs Hall said: “It is all working a lot better now, thankfully.

“But I just don’t understand why it took so long to get like this.

“We have been saying from the very beginning it wasn’t quite right, yet it has taken this long to get it fixed.

“It has not only been a massive inconvenience, having dirty water stay in a bath for a long period of time can be very unhygienic.

“It caused a lot of problems over Christmas, and I am just really hopeful that is the end of it.”

The family finally had enough when what appeared to be flakes of salmon washed into the bath from the plug a day after plumbers attempted to jet the blockage from the pipe.

Zosia Katnik, Red Kite spokesman, said: “The drainage problem that Mrs Hall was experiencing has now been fixed, following removal of part of the pipework.

“Most drainage problems such as reported by Mrs Hall, are successfully cleared at the first attempt.

“However on occasion it becomes apparent that the initial blockage masks a more complex problem in the drainage system.

“Build up of waste over time can then steadily reintroduce the problem, as was the case with Mrs Hall, and when this was indentified, we responded appropriately.”