PENSIONERS were forced to use public toilets for more than a week after the sewer near their homes in Wyre Piddle was blocked.

They were reduced to travelling to an all-night supermarket for toilet facilities and could not have a bath or wash their clothes while Severn Trent and Wychavon District Council wrangled over who should take responsibility.

Brian and Jocelyn Halls and Ray and Dot Jones called for help more than a week ago but no action was taken until yesterday.

Seventy-two-year old Mr Halls said: "It was a dreadful situation, I feel disgusted. We had to go to the all night supermarket in Worcester to use the toilet.

"We had to just have wash downs and couldn't use our washing machine for about eight days. Everybody goes on about health but this sort of thing doesn't help. "

Mrs Jones, aged 67 said: "It was dreadful. We are connected by a spur which we had to bung up to stop the main sewer flooding our homes."

They both received letters last Wednesday from the district council saying that the private sewer was blocked.

Mr Halls said: "They gave us until last Friday to do something about it or they said they would, but they didn't.

"We were not concerned about who was to pay. We just wanted something done as soon as possible."

Wychavon's press officer, Ann-Marie Darroch said: "There is a private section on this site but the blockage was in the public part of the system. Severn Trent initially resisted accepting responsibility for the defect but council officers persisted. Severn Trent then agreed to revisit the site and now the blockage has been cleared."

Press officer for Severn Trent, Caroline Hosie said: "There was some confusion at first as to whether the blockage was on the private system, but when we came out again we found it was on ours and there was a small problem on the private system which we have cleared.

"The amount of time these people had to wait was unacceptable however, and we apologise."