The garden of an elderly couple has still not been cleaned after it was flooded with raw sewage waste last week.

Patrick Frizoni, 70, from Penn, High Wycombe, said that despite positive correspondence with Thames Water and Buckinghamshire Highways, sewage waste that “disastrously” flooded his garden last week has still not been fully cleaned up.

He added, however, that the postponement of a clean-up operation – completely barring him and his wife Jane, 70, from using their garden – likely meant that a long-term solution to the problem, which has occurred twice previously this year, was imminent.

Both Buckinghamshire Council and Thames Water have commented on the sewage flood, which was caused by a damaged waste pipe resulting in a sinkhole opening in Jane and Patrick’s garden, confirming that an “urgent” investigation into the issue was underway.

Patrick said that although it appeared that “nothing much has been achieved”, despite “Thames Water tankers driving up and down the road all week”, he is hopeful that the utility company will soon begin digging up the pipe in question and mend a faulty soakaway drain after reaching an agreement with the local council.

The remnants of sewage including traces of faeces and toilet paper that remain in the elderly couple’s garden will be cleaned pending the results of a survey of the land for future sinkhole risk.

The 70-year-old said he understands the reasoning behind the delay but is frustrated at the increasing soil contamination risk that is further exacerbated every day the problem is not actively addressed.

READ MORE: Council promises to act 'urgently' after smelly raw sewage floods gardens in Bucks

“It’s been very difficult. We’re going to have to dig up the whole lawn and all the soil, so once they do get started, it will likely take a fair few days.

“We can’t go in the garden at all. I was only recently in the hospital with a bad case of sepsis, so I can’t go anywhere near it, and we can’t have our grandchildren over either.”

A Thames Water spokesperson previously told the Free Press they had apologised to residents in the area who were impacted by the damaged sewer pipe.

Adding: “Our teams have investigated and identified (that) damage to one of our waste pipes caused a sinkhole nearby.

“Our engineers and customer representatives are currently on the property to carry out a clean-up of the area and begin mitigation to prevent the property from flooding.”

Peter Martin, Buckinghamshire Council’s Deputy Cabinet Member for Transport said: “We are aware of this situation and understand how unpleasant it must be for the residents who are impacted.

“We have liaised directly with them over this issue and have provided emergency assistance with sandbags plus have deployed a gully cleansing machine to come to the site to ensure the highway drainage system is clear and cannot be contributing to the problem.

“We are urgently working with Thames Water to investigate the root cause of this issue and work up a long-term solution.”