A man who lives on a road dubbed the 'Poo Mews' claims it has been flooding with sewage and dead rats - for almost 30 years.

Paul Seymour, 65, moved into Sandcliff Road in Erith, south-east London, in 1997.

And he says that he has dealt with raw sewage and other waste frequently spilling from a manhole cover ever since.

Footage from one incident, shot this week, shows the murky water rushing out onto the street at a rapid pace.

Paul claims that this issue has happened about 20 times since he moved there, with faeces, used sanitary products, nappies, and dead rats all littering the road.

The maternity department worker said: "Shortly after we moved in, my wife and I were awoken one night by a huge noise. We thought there was a massive flood and there was."

"It was sewage and chemicals, and that all flowed down the road in November 1998. It was so bad and went into 10 houses."

Paul and his wife Joanne were fortunate enough to avoid flooding in their home then, but other residents were evacuated.

Thames Water reportedly spent two years fixing the house and promised to fix the problem.

However, Paul said: "Ever since then, every year or two years, and sometimes twice a year, we get the same problem."

"The manhole cover gets pushed up in the air, and you just get a torrent of faeces, used tampons, nappies, dead rats - they all come piling out."

"It happens for no obvious reason as it hasn't been hugely wet around here, but it dissipated."

Paul says he has approached Bexley Council with the issue, but that it is "uninterested" and diverts him to Thames Water instead, calling it "a Thames Water problem, not a council problem"."

Paul added: "One of the questions that Thames Water asks is whether we think there's any potential harm to health."

"Clearly there is, with raw sewage flowing down a road."

"Thames Water clears it up, claims they've done something and that it's all fixed. And then it all happens again."

The reason behind this reoccurring issue hasn't been officially confirmed, but Paul claims he has spoken to a civil engineer, who theorised that it was caused by the constant building works.

He added: "This issue hasn't happened absolutely every year, and sometimes you get away with it."

"It's strange because you think if you had a huge downpour, that's when it would happen, but it's normally a few days afterwards."

Paul and Joanne had hoped to move away from the mess, but say it is tricky to sell the property with all this going on.

The street itself has been called 'Poo Mews' by locals and in coverage over the years and has also been featured in the 2015 documentary Britain's Horror Homes.

Paul said: "Basically, we're stuck. We're going to have to live here until we die, which, if they carry on with this raw sewage, won't be much longer."

A spokesperson for Bexley Council said: "This is a Thames Water issue. "

"The Council will do all that it can to provide access and enable Thames Water to complete these works urgently."

A Thames Water spokesperson said: "We responded to reports of external sewer flooding on Sandcliff Road on Tuesday 7 January."

"Our teams attended found the flooding occurred as a result of items, such as wet wipes, obstructing the sewers and causing wastewater to back up out of the manhole."

"We recognise how difficult this can be for residents and we disinfected the flooded area the same day. We would like to remind customers to remember to only flush the three P's - pee, poo and (toilet) paper."

"This will help avoid sewer blockages which may lead to floodings and pollutions."