FOURTEEN homes in Micklefield, which had their rainwater drains attached to the wrong sewer, are set to leave Thames Water with a £6million bill for improvements.

The homes, which lie in the lower end of Micklefield Road, had their rainwater drains connected to the area's foul sewer, which is toilet waste, when they were built instead of the usual storm sewer.

Thames Water says this is the cause behind foul sewage swamping residents' driveways during downpours, as the sewer doesn't have enough capacity to cope with the massive influx of rain water.

It says it would face too many difficulties reconnecting the drains and would instead have to spend the cash on increasing the sewer's diameter across 4km.

But residents have reacted with outrage as the company, which announced profits of £346million last year, says it can't afford to consider the improvements until 2010 at the earliest.

The work would be considered as part of Thames Water's capital investment programme between 2010 and 2015 - and even then it will face competition from rival schemes.

Debbie Shaw, 48, of nearby St Hugh's Avenue, said residents had suffered enough.

She said: "I'm going to be having an operation on my knee and if I'm going to have to come out here with raw sewage I'm not going to be happy. We can't wait that long it is ridiculous."

Mrs Shaw said during downpours in November two bungalows had sewage covering their front gardens. She said engineers told her the problem was down to too many new homes being built in Micklefield.

She said: "They build all those new flats up there and that is a massive increase on the sewage system and they can't cope."

Jeremy Harris, 40, of Micklefield Road, backed her comments saying the homes had been fine for 70 years and it was only in recent years that the problem arose.

Pamela Fox-Clinch, 45, also of Micklefield Road, said: "In the past few years it has been awful. I have had to literally come home from work and cope with the floods which were up to the house. If it has to be done it has to be done otherwise the area will never improve."

Peter Whitelock, 78, of Micklefield Road, called for the council to curb house-building in the area until the sewer had adequate capacity.

He said: "We have had every type of engineer out."

Dan Taylor, spokesman for Thames Water, said the company would apply short term measures to the 14 homes while awaiting a permanent solution.

He said: "In the short term, we are looking to deal with the situation on a house by house basis.

"We will be arranging to inspect the individual houses to see the short term measures we can install to reduce the risk of sewer flooding.

"That is a short term solution but we want to adopt a long term solution but that is going to be expensive and at the moment funds are not there so we will see if we can fund it from the 2010 to 2015 capital investment programme."