A frail pensioner whose home was flooded with raw sewage has been moved back in by the housing association – even though the foul stench still remains.

Mary Lovence, 87, can now barely open the front door to her home in Freshfield Avenue, Dalston, which became warped when her whole flat was mired five inches deep in excrement last month.

A collapsed drain meant that when everyone else’s toilet was flushed in the whole block, sewage gushed out through Ms Lovente’s bath and sink.

Clarion Housing Group claims it has completed an environmental deep clean of the property, which became infested with maggots and bluebottle flies during the summer’s hot spell.

But Ms Lovente’s family have complained it still stinks.

Ms Lovence has been staying in a hotel since August 10 but was moved back home by Clarion a week ago.

“Rather than fix the problem it seems like they’ve dried it out with a dehumidifier and shoved her back in again,” her granddaughter Victoria Clark told the Gazette.

“My nan is very house proud and clean she has a bucket with about 10 bottles of bleach that she uses, but because it’s seeped into the wood and doors, you can’t get that out.

“I’m shocked they’ve put an old lady back into a property like this,” added Ms Clark, who works for a housing association herself.

“Raw sewage is a health hazard. The bacteria you get from that you could get seriously ill. It wouldn’t be good for anyone’s health but older people are more susceptible.”

She also questioned why her front door hadn’t been replaced.

“She can open it, but you have to really force it and she’s struggling. My mother in law is in her mid-40s and is an able-bodied person and she is struggling. If your door is that bad and warped, it needs a new door back on - why just leave it soaked in sewage?”

A spokesperson for Clarion Housing Group said when the property was inspected on September 9 it was found to be in “a suitable condition” for Mrs Lovence to move back into.

“We remain in contact with Mrs Lovence and her family and are providing ongoing support, including arranging further repairs to the front door,” they added. “Drainage repairs were completed on August 30 and since then we have also undertaken an environmental deep clean at the address.”