Householders face a bill of hundreds of pounds each because of a blocked sewer connected to their homes.

People living in 16 houses in Penfield Grove and Pentland Avenue, Clayton, have been told that they are liable to pay for repairs to the drain, which are likely to run into thousands of pounds.

The residents are fuming because they say they were not even aware that they were responsible for the private sewer. And they fear that many other homeowners might also face the same situation.

But Bradford Council says it is legally obliged to ensure that sewerage defects do not cause a public health risk.

Chris and Julie Jones, of Penfield Grove, said they had no idea the sewer was their responsibility when they bought their house four years.

"We just got a letter saying they were going to excavate in the garden of 44 Pentland Avenue and carry out repairs and it would have to be paid for by all of us," said Mr Jones, 47.

All the homes affected were built within the last 30 years. The problem first came to light when sewage started to back up into gardens about 18 months ago.

A closed-circuit television camera survey showed structural defects on the sewer and letters were sent by the Council on Christmas Eve informing residents that they would have to share the cost of repairs.

A spokesman for the Council's environmental protection department said many sewers built after 1937 were the responsibility of the house owner.

"In this case the sewer is not adopted and therefore Yorkshire Water does not maintain it," he said.

"We have written to home owners at 17 to 27 Penfield Grove and 40 to 58 Pentland Avenue informing them that their private sewer is defective.

"As a gesture of goodwill we recently cleared a blockage in the drain to stop sewage escaping to the surface. A CCTV survey showed structural defects on the private sewer from a number of properties and these must be repaired."

A Yorkshire Water spokesman said anyone buying a house built since 1937, when public health laws were changed, should check if their sewer is private.

He said many sewers built since then were the responsibility of Yorkshire Water but the company would not always adopt sewers if they ran under several private properties, as was the case with Penfield Grove and Pentland Avenue.

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