THE end is in sight for a 15-year battle to solve sewerage problems on a luxury estate.

Residents of Satinwood Crescent and the Village Estate, in Melling, have faced years of misery due to the substandard drainage systems connected to their £300,000 homes.

Problems have included bathrooms in their properties often smelling of sewage and the water level in the toilets rising up – all because the houses are connected to the drainage network by a temporary pipe.

But there is light at the end of the tunnel.

After years of wrangling, developers Morris Homes are about to carry out work on the temporary sewers to bring them up to standard, so they can finally be adopted by United Utilities.

This in turn could see Satinwood Crescent, along with its road surface and street lighting, adopted by Sefton Council, freeing householders from a huge burden.

Sefton Council leader and Molyneux ward councillor Tony Robertson said: “Subject to the work being acceptable to United Utilities, there is now some hope they will adopt the sewers and in doing so break the 15-year impasse. Morris Homes have confirmed to us the two sewer pumps will be fully operational.

“However, they say the only part of the pumping station above ground suffered some vandalism last weekend and they are having to switch between pumps manually until a repair is made.”