THIS is the horrifying moment a schoolboy plunged through a manhole into sewage after workers left it open, his mum claimed.
Corey Walker, 12, screamed as he fell down the drain and clambered out with blood running down his legs.
His “absolutely fuming” mother, Bethan Walker, alleged Thames Water employees failed to close the cover on the family’s Oxfordshire driveway.
She had requested help from the company on December 16 after sewage started overflowing from the manhole.
Workers arrived at around 7am the next morning, but Corey plunged down the manhole at 8.20am as they headed on the school run.
Beauty therapist Bethan rushed her traumatised son to hospital as his wounds had been exposed to sewage.
She said it “breaks her heart” listening to her son’s “poor little scream”.
“It’s awful. It’s just something that could have been so easily avoided if they’d have just done their job properly,” the mum-of-one added.
She said initially thought Corey was pulling a prank on her after he shouted “I’ve fell down a hole”.
But as the youngster’s screaming continued, Bethan rushed around the car and was shocked to see his leg bloody and bruised.
She claimed the hole was “a good six, seven feet deep” and should have had some sort of barrier around it.
“They genuinely probably did forget which I get, these things happen, mistakes happen. But the fact that somebody didn’t do their job properly has resulted in a poor innocent child falling down and hurting himself,” Bethan added.
The shocked mum immediately called Thames Water and a worker came out to resolve to issue at just after 4pm the same day.
But Bethan still feels “a bit let down” as the incident forced her son to take a day off school which will affect his attendance – and she couldn’t go to work.
“Literally a week before Christmas, you couldn’t write it. He was in an awful state,” she added.
Thankfully quick thinking Corey managed to stretch his arms out to catch himself as he fell.
“I’ve got a toddler, she’s three years old and she was strolling out there as well. Imagine if it was her, that would have been such a different story,” said Bethan.
She made a complaint to Thames Water but claimed she hasn’t heard back yet,
A Thames Water spokesperson said: “Health and safety is our top priority and we take matters of this kind very seriously.
“We can confirm that our contractors attended Ms Walker’s property on Tuesday 17 December to clear a blocked sewerage pipe. We were very concerned to learn about the incident involving Ms Walker’s son.
“Our contractors returned to ensure the cover was secure and we will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the incident.
“We are in close contact with Ms Walker to provide any support her family needs during this time.”
