A COUPLE have been forced to flee their brand new flat after it was flooded with raw sewage twice.

Adelaide Halliday, 25, and partner Sam Carey, 27, moved into the swanky Highbanks development in Southchurch Avenue, Southend, in July.

The pair were horrified when they returned to their £201,000 home one evening to find human waste floating on their bathroom floor and covering the hallway.

Developer Weston Homes, which spent £8million converting the former Lloyds head office, allegedly referred the couple to building managers Ringley.

The company sent a plumber and a cleaner with a mop and bucket to the luxury flat following the incident in November, but Miss Halliday claims they refused to act on a long-term problem with the plumbing in the building.

She said: “It was absolutely horrible. The plumber went behind the wall and said it was the stack pipe. He pulled out loads of tissues and face wipes.

“He said it was going to happen again unless they did a camera assessment and looked at the pipes, because the angle that they are at is always going to cause a blockage.

“We don’t know if there was any action taken but Ringley knew all this. They didn’t send any letters out to tell people not to flush baby wipes.”

The flat was flooded again on Wednesday, causing even more damage to the couple’s shoes, desk, television and Playstation. It has also made the flat uninhabitable for them and 13-week-old Dachshund puppy Beau.

Miss Halliday said: “It stinks. We can’t live here, we have had to move into a hotel in the meantime but this can’t keep happening.

“The first time, Ringley just sent a cleaner round with a mop and a bucket. They didn’t understand how serious the problem was.”

Jane Munroe, director at Ringley, said: “In this situation because it’s such a new building the developers are actually responsible for this under the terms of the warranty.”

Bob Weston, Chairman and CEO of Weston Homes, said: “Ringley manage the building and have done since handover in 2016. This matter has just been brought to our attention. 

"Weston Homes' Quality Assurance and Customer Services Director has arranged with the couple to meet at their property today, 06.01.17. 

"If required, a contractor will be appointed to carry out a full and thorough assessment, as well as any subsequent repair work that is needed.

"In the interim, a professional clean will be organised and the contractor booked for a time to suit the couple, understandably as soon as possible.”