Residents in Bonnybridge street have been ankle deep in water for over 25 years

The rear area of the properties in Mannfield Avenue are constantly under several inches of water with householders saying that the problem has been ongoing for decades.

A pump installed by Falkirk Council to reduce the water level continually breaks down, according to locals.

Ten properties are affected with some home to council tenants and others owner occupiers. Falkirk Council said that owners were not keen to contribute towards the cost of further investigations.

But Moray Hurlbert, who lives at No.31, said several years ago his wife was asked to pay ten per cent of £250,000 for consultants to look at the issue.

He said: “Heaven knows what a repair bill would then cost. There was no guarantee either that they would come up with a solution.”

Moray, 58, who is a fencer with North Lanarkshire Council, and wife Gillian, 56, a nanny, said they were fed up not being able to make use of their back garden.

He added: “Last summer when we had the really hot spell and everywhere was bone dry, the ground here was still sodden. We know that it has been an ongoing for over 26 years with no resolution but one neighbour, whose mother lived in the house previously, said it has been like this for nearer 50 years.

"It’s all very well for the council to say that the water isn’t going into the properties but it must be affecting underneath the houses."

Councillor Billy Buchanan said he first highlighted the resident’s plight over 25 years ago and is angry that there is still no solution. He now intends to raise the issue as a matter of priority citing health and safety concerns.

The councillor said: “It’s disgraceful. A child could slip, hit their head and drown in one of these gardens.

"The council should be giving these residents a reduction in their rents as they don’t have full use of their properties. How have they allowed this to go on for so long without finding a solution. It’s not good enough.”

A spokesperson for Falkirk Council said: “We appreciate the long-term nature of the problem at this location and have already carried out work over the years to try and determine the underlying cause of the flooding without success. We also fully understand concerns felt by people who live there however, as we are not sole owners in the area, there was difficulty in getting responses from several private owners about costs to a consultation that was issued.

“The surveys we have carried out are not conclusive and we will need to look at more work. We have also asked that the pump is checked straight away by our contractor.”

A Scottish Water spokesperson said: “Scottish Water have attended this address in the past and found the issue is being caused by ground water, rather that waste water. We are unable to support customers in draining groundwater from their properties as our sewers are not designed for this purpose.”