A FURIOUS Rubery resident, who has endured sewage in his back garden for the last four years, has finally been told he will have to deal with it himself.

Graham Holloway has been passed from pillar to post as he persisted to find someone to take responsibility for the sewage leak, which first appeared in his garden in 1999.

The Grange Crescent resident has been told by Bromsgrove District Council's environmental health department he will have to dig a soak-away as it cannot find out where the source is.

"I could have dug a channel to remove the sewage four years ago and saved myself all this anguish," he said. "I'm totally disgusted with their performance, I feel they've just led me along for all this time and now a quick 'sorry, sort it out yourself,' will suffice - well it won't."

A pool of water first appeared in Graham's garden in May 1999.

He immediately reported it to the environmental health department but soon found and shrubs and trees near to the pool dying.

Tests took place over the next two years and it was established the pool contained a significant amount of sewage and the blame was passed to Severn Trent.

As a solution, Severn Trent relined one of its pipes at the rear of New Inns Lane but, three months later, hazardous sewage was still oozing into Graham's back garden.

The problem was the passed back to the district council which, after more testing, said if the source could not be found it would arrange a method of removing the sewage.

But last Monday, Graham was finally told the only solution was to dig a soak-away himself.

He added: "If I do dig a soak-away, I am just potentially transferring the problem somewhere else.

"While doing this I would also be exposed to the sewage with possible effects to my own health."

Graham has received the full support from the district councillor for Waseley Cllr Peter McDonald (Lab). "I think it is absolutely deplorable that Mr Holloway's garden has been turned into a sewage plant. This is not a Third World country!"

Nobody from Bromsgrove District Council was available for comment.