HOMEOWNERS living in luxury houses connected to sub-standard drains are hoping their decade-long misery is almost over.

Bathrooms in their £300,000 properties often smell of sewage. The water level in the toilets also rises.

It is because the houses are connected to the drains by a temporary pipe.

But developer Morris Homes, which built the homes in Melling, and United Utilities started work installing a better connection on Monday – almost a decade after they were built.

The work, affecting around 200 houses, is only being done after a lengthy court battle and under close police protection.

Morris was pursued by landowner Paul Tighe, who claimed the new pipe would go through land he owns. He demanded the builder pay £1m for a patch of tarmac barely larger than two metres square, in return for access.

It is understood the negotiations were so fraught United Utilities refused to do work on the site unless Morris paid for police protection.

Morris also refused to bankroll the work, but Sefton Council won an injunction against the firm forcing it to act. Cllr Jack Colbert said: “This has been going on for too long, and I’m glad it’s coming to a conclusion. It’s now been nine years fighting this legal battle. I blame the arrogance of big business – Morris Homes – for this. We have been pursuing them and the courts just haven’t helped us.”