Family wakes up to sewage in home, blames city

DIAZ, Ark. (KAIT) - Many in Jackson County were met with heavy flooding on Thursday, but for one family, it wasn’t just rain giving them problems.

Seth Lockridge and his family woke up to a house full of sewage that day, and the city isn’t doing anything about it.

“I got up this morning, got ready for work, and stepped on wet carpet. I ran into the bathroom, and you could smell the sewer,” he said. “I asked them, ‘What would you do if this was your house?’”

The issue has been going on for years, but this time, Lockridge had to take extreme measures by removing the carpet and flooring in his home.

He said enough is enough.

The Lockridge family said they spoke with Mayor Perry Stegall around 5 a.m., but he offered no help.

The family claimed the city should fix the problem since it’s public sewage and not waste from their own sewer, but the mayor disagrees.

“I’m sorry that it’s happened, it’s a mess. I realize it is. Whoever built the house didn’t build it right. I’m sorry this happened, but there’s nothing the city can do about it,” Stegall said in a statement.

The family thinks an apology is not enough.

“You say you’re sorry, but I’m the one having to wake up with the City of Diaz’s sewage in my house,” Lockridge said.

Lawyers are being consulted on both sides, making it unlikely the issue will be resolved in the near future.

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