Heatwave, what heatwave? My garden’s flooded!

A WATER feature can be a beautiful addition to any garden and a great way to attract frogs and other wildlife to your doorstep.
Jamile Hussain's waterlogged garden. 

Pictures: Ross Parry AgencyJamile Hussain's waterlogged garden. 

Pictures: Ross Parry Agency
Jamile Hussain's waterlogged garden. Pictures: Ross Parry Agency

But for Jamile Hussain the ‘water feature’ in his garden is the bane of his life and the wildlife it has attracted are far from welcome.

During the current heatwave, it could be argued that Jamile Hussain ought to be the envy of the country with the expanse of water at the foot of his garden.

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But the reality is that the water is the result of a flooding problem which has been a recurring nightmare for his family for 13 long years.

Jamile Hussain's waterlogged garden. 

Pictures: Ross Parry AgencyJamile Hussain's waterlogged garden. 

Pictures: Ross Parry Agency
Jamile Hussain's waterlogged garden. Pictures: Ross Parry Agency

Homeowner Jamile, 34, has been forced to live at his brother’s house for the last four years with his wife and two young children as the water steadily took over his garden in Deepdale Road at Kimberworth, Rotherham.

And he has been dealt a blow in his efforts to fix the problem, because any progress that can be made has been halted - because of a colony of protected newts that now live there.

Although there is little, if anything, wrong with his house, Jamile cannot bring himself to live there.

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He and his wife of 17 years, Zenib, 37, and two young children, son Fahad, eight, and daughter Sabai, four, now live in his brother Shafique’s house down the street.

Jamile believes the problem at his home arose after a surface water drain on a nearby council-owned property was no longer maintained when it closed.

He says water had spread over the boundary onto his land and turned his back garden into a water-logged jungle.

Jamile, a self-employed taxi driver, said the pond had become so overgrown and dangerous that it now resembled a jungle.

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“There is an outcry for more water this summer because of the great weather but I have just about had enough of it.

“Although we haven’t had rain for a few weeks, any rain we do get makes the garden worse. I’m really lucky that my house is raised from the garden and I haven’t been flooded.

“I want the council to either fix the problem or pay me out, as I am still paying for the property even when it is not fit to live in.

“As soon as you step in the water, you start to sink, and it is terribly dangerous for everybody. It looks like a jungle.”

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He recalls the time when he had a garden to be proud of - but it’s all a very long time ago.

“The garden used to be beautiful and I mowed the lawn regularly when I first moved in.

“The problem has just grown and grown since I first complained 13 years ago.”

As well as the danger of the mud and water, Jamile believes that visitors also have to be wary of creatures other that newts.

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“One neighbour has even been bitten by what appeared to be a grass snake from the pond.

“I appreciate there are rare newts living in the garden, but there must be something the council can do to help me. The house and the garden is no use to me in its current state.”

A spokeswoman for Rotherham Borough Council said they were not aware of any drain on the site.

She described the garden’s flooded area as a “natural habitat for local wildlife” - including a protected species of newt.

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The spokeswoman said: “Our staff have visited the site on several occasions and conducted thorough investigations.

“To the back of Mr Hussain’s garden lies a natural low lying area where water collects at the bottom of a steep incline.

“This has resulted in a natural habitat for local wildlife, including great crested newts which are fully protected by law.

“A number of options have been considered, taking the advice of an external consultant ecologist.

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“However, as the newts require access to the pond and to Mr Hussain’s garden - which the newts may be using as an access route and terrestrial habitat - any viable options for either infilling the pond, removing the newts, or building an obstruction would likely be in breach of the law.

“We are currently looking into the feasibility of applying for a European Species Licence to rehome the newts.

“Although a successful outcome is by no means certain, a licence would allow us to investigate future options to improve the site.”