A hospital consultant and his partner have launched a legal battle against the former owners of their £625,000 home after being told not to shower or even flush the loo whenever it rains because of the risk of raw sewage backing up into the house and garden.
Radiologist Brett Ibbeson and Karen Man Yan Chan claim they were tricked into buying the detached house in Suffolk when the previous owners ‘fraudulently’ claimed the property had never flooded.
Dr Ibbeson and Ms Chan later discovered a catalogue of complaints filed against Anglian Water by previous owners William and Suzanne Temple, including one reporting ‘residual 3Ps (pee, poo and paper)’ in the front garden caused by an overflowing sewer.
Now they want the full purchase price refunded, along with expenses including hotel and Airbnb accommodation when they had to move out because of the ongoing sewage problem.
In a High Court claim, Dr Ibbeson and Ms Chan say they bought the four-bed, three-bathroom house in the rural village of Brockley near Bury St Edmunds in March 2025 after being assured in a property information form that it had never flooded.
During legal inquiries into the property, the vendors were allegedly asked again about problems with the sewer.
The four-bedroom, three-bathroom house in the rural village of Brockley near Bury St Edmunds
There is a pumping station around 20 yards from the home
Dr Ibbeson and Ms Chan claim they later discovered a catalogue of complaints filed against Anglian Water, who run the pumping station (pictured) by the previous owners
Previous owner William Temple, left, and Brett Ibbeson, who bought the house last year
They allegedly said they had occasionally experienced problems with the downstairs lavatory not flushing properly, but that Anglian Water had been quick to carry out repairs to the pumping station when contacted.
But months after moving in, the new owners say they discovered that a sewage pumping station on neighbouring land could become overwhelmed during periods of wet weather.
Anglian Water then advised them to severely restrict their water use at the property when it was raining, they claim.
That advice included being told over the phone not to shower or flush the loo.
The couple say that using water at the property increases the likelihood of sewage escaping from manholes on the site and backing up into the house.
Then, in November 2025, the couple discovered what they say was a long history of problems involving the sewer and pumping station.
They were given a copy of 16 complaints allegedly made by Mr and Mrs Temple, who had owned the house since 2014.
The former owners were said to have told Anglian Water that, from November onwards for several months, their downstairs loo and upstairs shower did not work and that there was ‘residual 3Ps (pee, poo and paper) in the front garden’.
There were also records showing Anglian Water attending the property numerous times.
Dr Ibbeson and Ms Chan accuse the Temples of making ‘fraudulent false representations’, knowing they were false, or being reckless whether they were true or false.
The couple claim the Temples had even threatened to report Anglian Water to environmental health in March 2023 and had sought compensation.
They allegedly continued complaining until they put the house on the market, and are also said to have requested emergency drainage of the pumping station five times.
Dr Ibbeson, a consultant radiologist for West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, and Ms Chan say they would never have bought the property if they had known the truth.
They say they have no desire to live in the house because of the sewer problems and will sell it unless the court orders rescission [cancellation] of the contract.
Their expenses relating to the property have so far reached just over £54,000, they say.
Dr Ibbeson and Ms Chan accuse the Temples of making ‘fraudulent false representations’ about the house, knowing they were false, or being reckless whether they were true or false
These include the cost of an investigation by a drainage engineer and hotel and Airbnb bills of £2,112.86. They are also seeking future conveyancing costs, a mortgage early redemption fee of £18,085.95, future hotel and Airbnb expenses, and future borrowing and interest costs.
The couple are also seeking compensation for distress, inconvenience and the loss of use and enjoyment of the property, based on its notional rental value.
After Mr and Mrs Temple were sent a letter of claim in February, they admitted ‘there was a small number of occasions where there was a small surcharge of sewage in the garden’ but have continued to deny liability.
Dr Ibbeson and Ms Chan say they have therefore been left with no choice but to take legal action. No defence to the claim, issued last month, has so far been lodged.
Dr Ibbeson and the Temples were contacted for comment.
