A dad says he's at breaking point with his autistic son 'caught in the middle' of a row with developers over their back garden.
Anthony Dixon's four-year-old son Jay needs sensory equipment to help his development but cannot use his vital outdoor toys due to flooding issues at the rear of the property.
The family have been at loggerheads with Barratt Homes North East, who built their £238,000 detached house in Hebburn, South Tyneside, in 2018.
Mr Dixon, 34, said they chose the property specifically because it is west-facing - but they've had to pull up and relay their lawn three times.
He described "horrible dirty muddy water" which lays stagnant and poses a major health risk to their vulnerable son.
What's more, new homes are being built surrounding theirs on sites four feet higher than their garden.
He told the ChronicleLive: "So, now not only does my garden have rain water to cope with but three other gardens drain into mine. In the summer, even a neighbour using a sprinkler can result in our garden flooding."
Mr Dixon said when they moved into the new build around the time Jay was born the grass was originally laid "on top of rubble, glass and other items which were not safe for a child".
He asked Barratt Homes to relay the turf and level it off as it was slopping towards the house and flooding the patio.
This was done but no topsoil was added meaning the grass was laid on pure clay, he claims.
Mr Dixon said contractors then fitted drainage into the garden and covered it with the same clay they'd removed before building the surrounding homes, adding to the problems.
The developer is adamant there are no defects with the garden, and said it is sorry the dad "is not satisfied".
And while Barratt Homes has offered to further inspect the drainage and pay for the turf to be relayed again, Mr Dixon said he has given up on the firm.
He said: "I have asked to be compensated the money so that I am able to go away and rectify the issues privately from a company who have already provided a quote for the work."
However, he claims Barratt Homes won't hand over any cash.
Mr Dixon has applied for a Disabled Facilities Grant from South Tyneside Council to cover the cost of repairing the garden but has twice been turned down.
The council has said the work is the responsibility of the development firm.
"We really are at the end of our tether with this," said Mr Dixon.
"The council isn't interested, even though Jay is disabled and the garden is dangerous for him.
"He requires the garden on a daily basis to help him with sensory processing problems but it is constantly flooded with horrible dirty muddy water, some of which is stagnant due to its inability to drain away.
"This is a massive health risk to my son who tends to put a lot of objects in his mouth and obviously stagnant water is perfect for lots of bacteria."
Mr Dixon added: "Nobody seems to care about the little boy who is caught in the middle of this mess. The issues have been raised with the site manager, contract managers, head of customer care and Barratt managing director and they have all been made aware of Jay's need to play outside. They just don't care."
A Barratt Homes spokesperson said: "We are sorry that Mr Dixon is not satisfied with his garden.
"Since Mr. Dixon moved into his home in 2018, we have carried out levelling works, installed additional drainage and commissioned an independent inspection of the garden to identify any further issues.
"While this inspection showed no drainage problems, it did make some recommendations, which we were also happy to carry out. Recent heavy rainfall has since resulted in water collecting on Mr Dixon’s garden.
"We have offered to further inspect the drainage and to pay for the turf to be relayed.
"We understand how important it is for Mr. Dixon and his family to be able to enjoy their garden, and we want to work with him to resolve this matter.”
A spokesman for the council said: "We appreciate the difficult situation the family find themselves in and are sympathetic.
"The garden is not useable for any person regardless of age or disability due to the poor drainage.
"This is a maintenance issue and the responsibility of fixing this lies with the company which built the house.
"We have offered to provide the family with information and recommendations to take back to the house builder to encourage them to rectify the situation."
