A FAMILY say their house may collapse because no one is prepared to take responsibility for the repair and maintenance of drains which overflow when it rains.

David and Kim Young, who live with their three-year-old son in Conyers Avenue, Chester-le-Street, have been told the ground underneath their home could be in danger of collapsing - after their neighbour's house had to be demolished.

Mr Young said: "Every time it rains heavily, the drains in the main road cannot cope and the street floods. Sewage drains overflow and contaminated water and raw sewage runs onto and underneath our property.

"We have been told the ground underneath our home could actually be in danger of collapsing."

Mr Young said Northumbrian Water, Chester-le-Street District Council and the Highways Authority were refusing to take any action because they could not agree about who owned the drains.

Their problems began in March, when a large crater developed in the garden of their elderly neighbour's council-owned property.

The council evacuated the property and demolished it shortly afterwards.

The Young's home has developed cracks that are increasing in size.

Mr Young said: "The council told us that it had to demolish the house next door because it was unsafe and this was the only way they could investigate the land to find out why the land was subsiding.

"Because they couldn't guarantee our safety while they did this, we had to move out for six weeks and stay with relatives."

He said the district council had taken borehole samples from the ground that showed the subsidence was caused by an underground stream running beneath their property.

Despite a Freedom of Information Act request by the family, the council had refused to share copies of its full findings and survey reports, said Mr Young.

District council acting director of community services Paul Stephens said the report conducted for the council was done specifically for the council property, and he advised the Youngs to go through their insurers to commission their own survey.

He said the council had found a problem with the drains and proposed setting up a meeting with Northumbrian Water, Durham County Council and affected residents in a bid to resolve the issue.

A Northumbrian Water spokesman said their records showed the drains were private and had not been adopted by the company.

No one from the Highways Authority could be contacted for comment.