A BRIDGWATER family has suffered with their home getting soaked every time it rains for nearly a decade - all thanks to a faulty drain.

While all the other drains in Bath Road seem to be working as they should, the drain directly outside Kevin Marsh’s front door pools with water every time it rains, with passing vehicles sending waves of water over the front of the father-of-two’s house.

Mr Marsh said: “For many years I have had issues with a road drain gully outside my house, I have reported this to county roads and Somerset Highways numerous times and have correspondence with them going back to 2012.

“The road drain gully is very slow in carrying water away. All other road drain gully’s along the road are clear even in heavy downpours with no ponding.

“The one outside my property is defective and creates a very large pond of water nearly up to pavement height within minutes of rain and remains for a period of time after the rain has stopped.

Bridgwater Mercury: PROBLEM: Kevin Marsh's family has endured years of water hitting their home

“Passing traffic hitting the ponding water causes a large wave of water to splash over the front of my house. This has caused considerable damage to both the inside and outside of my house. Water has entered the house on many occasions.”

The ongoing saga has seen various bodies claiming different causes - with no one taking responsibly for the problem.

Just last week, Wessex Water paid Mr Marsh a visit and said there was no issue with the sewer – which would fall under their remit.

“This issue has been going on for so many years and has caused so much damage to my property and stress and upset to my family and myself,” said Mr Marsh.

“We now face a bigger challenge in that my wife has been diagnosed as having a spinal cord tumour and has gone from being a 33-year-old, healthy, active mum of two, to being paraplegic and in a wheelchair.

“We had to replace our front door last year due to the damage caused by the water hitting it and to give a level access to the house so she could enter and leave the house.

“Unfortunately, the new front door is already showing signs of damage due to the drain fault.

“It is causing problems for my wife entering and leaving the house and in rain it’s likely she will be saturated by a wave of water from passing vehicles hitting the ponding water, which I think is possibly a great health and safety concern being road water.

Bridgwater Mercury: FAMILY: Kevin Marsh with his wife and two children

“Also very concerning for our children aged four years old and two years old being saturated by road water, luckily it’s easy to get them washed, dried and changed, but that’s not the case with my wife.

“But truly speaking, I shouldn’t be having to get my wife and children washed, dried and changed due to a faulty road drain.”

Somerset County Council has been contacted for comment but had not responded when the Mercury went to press.