Sewage fountain erupts from loo

A retired expat couple from Devon, England, are blaming the Pattaya Public Works Division after a one meter fountain of sewage erupted from their toilet.

John and Jane Mitchell say it is not fair they are having to fork out 200,000 baht to repair the damage.

Public Works Division (PWD) has refunded this year's sewage charges to the couple as a "goodwill gesture". But it said the sewer blockage was caused by "irresponsible" disposal into the sewers and it was not liable for the damage.

Mr and Mrs Mitchell were sitting in their North Pattaya home after lunch, when they heard a strange gurgling noise coming from their downstairs loo. They went to investigate, and to their horror found a fountain of sewage erupting out of the toilet.

Mrs Mitchell said: "It was shooting up in a torrent. I lost my cool and screamed. I thought the next thing will be a rat.

"We knew it must be coming from the main sewer, not our sewer. We had never had any problems with our sewer. It was absolutely ghastly. The smell was really offensive."

The eruption continued for half an hour and flooded the couple's utility room, hall, sitting room and dining room.

Mr Mitchell blamed the City for a "complete lack of care and attention".

"I think they should pay the cost of putting our home back to normal," he said. "It's a bit like having burglars in your house. You feel as if your home has been soiled."

PWD Deputy Director Khun Bird Somnamboowit said the Division offered a clean-up service to customers affected by sewage flooding, but that it was not liable for the damage.

"We are very sympathetic to their plight, but the cause of the blockage was the irresponsible disposal of fat into the sewer," he said. "We operate and maintain the sewers on behalf of our customers but we cannot be held responsible if people dispose of things irresponsibly."

The Manfarang -- Thailand's Finest News Source

5th November 2005

Its a bit like having burglars in your house , you feel as if your home has been soiled ,

Some one had best go around and tell this guy YOUR HOME HAS BEEN SOILED , god knows what has hapened to him in the past

Am i reading this correctly. I was not aware of any connected sewar systems in Thailand. I thought it was all septic tanks.

Yes, Pattaya has it's own sewage system.

Built in 2000 I think

one meter fountain of sewage erupted from their toilet.

The eruption continued for half an hour and flooded the couple's utility room, hall, sitting room and dining room.

Yes, Pattaya has it's own sewage system

at least they are not emptying it all into the bay then.

Yes, Pattaya has it's own sewage system

at least they are not emptying it all into the bay then.

They were not so very long ago.

How does pouring fat into the toilet result in a back flush one meter high ?

As the sewage system is so new it should be in full working order??

What a lame excuse from the public works dept, using fat as an excuse for not maintaining the sewers properly is quite pathetic.

They should pay the Mitchells adequate compensation.

The sewage system isn't new, the treatment plant is, when Pataya lost its popularity in the early eighties (The Jewel of Asia) due to untreated sewage being discharged into the sea - something had to be done - quickly - it's fitting into place now right? - yes by 2001 they nearly had an operational sewage treatment plant, there would appear to still be a few teething problems

Cheers

Yeah you would have thought that getting the sh*t to the treatment plant at the end of Beach Rd would be east as it`s downhill for most of the way!

its downhill all the way .........that should be their motto.

...and uphill on special occasions

Typical Brits ehh, just a couple of shit stirrers.

the sewers are blocked with zillions of condoms and all sorts or rubbish and as the sewers run uphill the pumping stations are not up to pumping the waste away. then there is the dead rats and fat ,,plastic bottles etc ..

Their attitude stinks

Their attitude stinks

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Imagine how their house smells

Sure they will get to the bottom of the problem

Cheers

I hope the couple are flush enough to cover the costs themselves, as they have more chance of being shat on by a wooden horse than getting due compensation.

No way will they get paid out for fear of starting a chain reaction of similar claims.

what a waste!

They should pay for their own repairs, they are an effluent couple

I hope the couple are flush enough to cover the costs themselves, as they have more chance of being shat on by a wooden horse than getting due compensation.

No way will they get paid out for fear of starting a chain reaction of similar claims.

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Agreed All they need to do is Discharge funds from their own bank account,

Shit happens - they need to move on and put this behind them!

money down the drain