Parkside family left homeless after house flooded by sewage due to overgrown tree roots

An Adelaide family was left homeless for months after their home was flooded by raw sewage at Christmas time – but the council’s reason for allegedly not addressing the issue is flabbergasting.

A family has been forced to rebuild their home after it was flooded by raw sewage mere days before Christmas because of overgrown tree roots – but the local council says the tree must stay.

Last December, Gerald Barrie, 39, came home from work to find his Parkside home had been flooded after tree roots caused a blockage in his street’s main sewerage system.

“The inspection opening was bursting with raw sewage and that flowed into the kerb in the road all the way around our block,” the civil engineer said.

“When I got inside, I saw my wife standing next to our Christmas tree in tears with sewage all around her.

“The sewage had come through every single opening, so it was in both bathrooms and the laundry, it was coming out of the shower grates.

“From there it started ponding into my son’s bedroom and our whole kitchen was inundated.”

Gerald and Katie Barrie with kids Charlie, 7, and Maggie, 6, in their kitchen, which has been stripped after the sewage flood. PIcture: Russell Millard Photography

Gerald Barrie, 39, came home from work to find his Parkside home had been flooded after tree roots caused a blockage in his street’s main sewerage system. Picture: Supplied

There was sewage coming out of every opening in their home. Picture: Supplied

Forced to leave their home, Mr Barrie and his wife Kate, 40, their children Charlie, 7, and Maggie, 6, and two pugs spent Christmas in a hotel before moving into an Airbnb for two months.

“Obviously it’s not like having it at home but we made the most of it and the kids had a good time,” he said.

“A lot of that stuff you can get back again but the kids had made presents for each other which were wrecked.”

The family is now staying in another Airbnb for at least another three months until their home is restored.

“It’s been absolutely traumatic (...) the amount of stress, anxiety, anguish this has caused,” he said.

Since the flooding, the family have been living in AirBnBs. Picture: Supplied

The Barries want to get the tree removed before more damage is done. Picture: Russell Millard Photography

In the meantime, Mr Barrie has been in discussions to have the council-owned tree, which has lifted the footpath and their driveway, removed out of fear their home could be wrecked again.

However he claims the council has refused to remove the tree due to the Tree Protection Act that safeguards significant trees.

“I feel that the council just thinks that the legislation behind the tree is greater than the legislation that protects me and my family,” Mr Barrie said.

“Our family is now in a position where the council is unwilling to do anything about it and we just have to suck it up.

“We are fighting with everything we have, we just can’t have this happen again.”

The City of Unley council declined to comment.

Originally published as Parkside family left homeless after house flooded by sewage due to overgrown tree roots