Housing firm agrees to replace grass on family's newbuild 'swamp garden'

Ross McGuinness
Updated
Ellis Reid and her partner Douglas Horn. Ellis is living with her partner and her four-year-old son Landon, at a new social housing complex in the village of Dundonald owned by Riverside Housing. Since moving in August their garden has become a complete swamp, with algae now growing and the grass flooded. When Ellis complained about this she was told by a sub contractor to use a pitch fork and claims they blamed the mess on her four-year-old son and her two dogs.
Ellis Reid, centre, with her partner, Douglas Horn, right, and her son, Landon, left, in their muddy garden. (Reach) (Ayrshire Post/Media Scotland)

A family whose newbuild garden has turned into a 'swamp' will have their grass replaced after they raised the issue with their housing association.

Mother Ellis Reid, 31, and her partner, Douglas Horn, 42, are angry that the garden of their property on Hopefield Gardens in Dundonald in Scotland has become something resembling a quagmire since they moved in last August.

The couple insist the marshy garden is the result of poor drainage, but they say Riverside Housing, which owns the property, blamed the problem on Ms Reid's four-year-old son Landon and the family's two dogs.

The once lush green grass has become a muddy mess in the space of seven months, with algae now growing there.

“When I first moved in it was great for the wee man, he could play and have his friends round," Ms Reid said.

“Now I just shut the curtains. I’m sick of the sight of it.

Ellis Reid and her partner Douglas Horn. Ellis is living with her partner and her four-year-old son Landon, at a new social housing complex in the village of Dundonald owned by Riverside Housing. Since moving in August their garden has become a complete swamp, with algae now growing and the grass flooded. When Ellis complained about this she was told by a sub contractor to use a pitch fork and claims they blamed the mess on her four-year-old son and her two dogs.
Ellis Reid and her partner Douglas Horn have described the garden of their new build home in Dundonald, South Ayrshire, as a 'swamp'. (Reach) (Ayrshire Post/Media Scotland)

“It’s like having a swamp attached to your house. There is algae growing up the fence and on plant pots.

“We can’t let the dogs out any more – they just refuse to go out in it. They have to use the patio to go to the toilet because they won’t go on the grass.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we had tadpoles in it soon, it’s got its own ecosystem.

“I’m dreading the summer, I just wanted to be able to sit outside in the garden when the weather improves but we’ve got no chance of that now.

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“I’m worried it’s starting to trail into the house, when it really rains it just floods, even the patio floods.”

The couple said one subcontractor for Riverside told them the issue with the garden was likely caused by a lack of drainage.

However, they said a second subcontractor for the housing association told them her son and their dogs were the cause of the issue with the garden.

“The back garden has just flooded anytime we’ve had rainfall," said Mr Horn. “The garden is ruined, it is constantly waterlogged.

“We’ve had contractors come out twice. The first time they agreed with me that there was no drainage in the back garden.

Ayrshire family bogged down after garden turns to marshland, with Ellis Reid and partner Douglas Horn left furious by state of backdoor Pictured: The garden in August
The garden last August when the family moved into the property in Dundonald, South Ayrshire, Scotland. (Reach) (Media Scotland)

“When they came out the second time they were only here for a couple of minutes - later that night I was sent an email to say the state of the garden was because of our two dogs and my partner’s four-year-old son.

“It is unbelievable to think they could be capable of causing that much mess. It’s just lazy blaming a child and dogs for their own failings. There is clearly a drainage issue.”

Riverside Housing told Yahoo News UK on Tuesday that it will lay down new grass in the garden free of charge and will pay for any works required.

A spokeswoman said: “We are not aware of any correspondence between our customer and contractor suggesting cause of the issue, but we take concerns shared by customers seriously and will be looking into this.

“With any of our newbuild homes, we will advise customers avoid walking on newly laid grass for the first few weeks while it sets.

“An inspection carried out by our contractors at the affected garden had found suggestion that a combination of heavy rain, hard frost, and heavy traffic likely caused the grass to die, leaving water unable to permeate through the topsoil and down to the drainage pipe.

“We understand the importance of customers feeling comfortable at home, and will be laying down new turf in the family’s garden and paying for any remedial works needed.”

Riverside said it will aim to lay down the new turf before the end of this month.

A South Ayrshire Council spokesperson told Yahoo News UK: “An officer from our Environmental Health team has been investigating a complaint regarding garden drainage and are discussing the matter with the complainer and housing association.”

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