A disabled woman was forced to clean herself with wet wipes and urinate in a bucket after “cowboy builders” she paid £22,000 “smashed” her drain pipes and abandoned her home renovation after just two weeks. Mary Lukins, 59, from Southampton , who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2016, contracted builders on February 24 2022, to make her semi-detached house “more accessible” by building a rear single-storey extension and downstairs bathroom. Work began on July 7 2022, after receiving planning permission , but two weeks later Mary said the builders packed up their equipment and never came back, leaving her three-bedroom house with broken drains and an unfinished conservatory.
Mary told PA Real Life her life was a “living nightmare” for a year, as she could not use the toilet or bathe because water would not drain, and “raw sewage” would pour into her garden when she tried to flush the toilet. An independent report, seen by PA Real Life, by another building company, called Innerspace Solutions Ltd, found Mary’s drains had been “compromised due to the damage caused when footings were excavated” and estimated the total cost of repairs to be about £11,200. Unable to afford the remedial work, Mary said she urinated in a bucket or drove to a friend’s house nearby, and often relied on wet wipes and deodorant to keep clean.
“I’ve worked for over 20 years and every penny has been put into this house because like most people it’s my pensio.