A COUPLE are refusing to accept £2,000 compensation from British Waterways because they feel the authority should be spending £50,000 to stop their land flooding.

Every time there is heavy rainfall, the level of the River Leven rises and water swamps David and Gill Hodgson's garden at the old water mill, on Leven Bank, Ingleby Barwick.

They say it turns their land into a bog up to six times a year and makes the septic tank overflow so there is sewage in their garden.

"The septic tank won't work so we daren't go to the toilet," said Mrs Hodgson, who lives at the property with her husband and their children, Karl, ten, and Jayne, 18.

"Washing up, bathing and putting the clothes in the washing machine are all a no-no until the water levels fall again.

"If it happens for any length of time we have to go to Safeway to go to the toilet or a friend's to use their shower. As we are a couple of miles away it can be an inconvenience.

"We have had it lapping over the patio before, but fortunately it hasn't come into the house yet."

The couple say there was not a problem until the Tees Barrage, which was built about six miles downstream from their property by Tees-side Development Corporation, was completed in 1994.

The couple say their garden has been eroded by the floods and turned into marshland, which has seriously devalued their property. A new septic tank and improved drainage on the land would cost about £50,000.

British Waterways, which has been responsible for the barrage since 2000, commissioned a topographical survey of the River Leven near their land at a cost of £21,000. When the report came back the Hodgsons were offered £2,000.

British Waterways river manager on Teesside, Alan Slater, said: "Our offer is to cover the amount of times they have to get the sceptic tank pumped.

"We have reviewed it scientifically to find the effect of the barrage in the area and we found that the sceptic tanks had been affected, but the flooding would have happened anyway because of global warming.