When retired hairdresser Theodosia Aresti , 71 , moved into a new-build flat in London five years ago , the frail pensioner thought she had found her dream home . But after a blocked pipe unleashed a 'tsunami of sewage ' from the nine-storey building 's 239 other flats into her apartment , her hopes of a contented retirement were ruined - and she says she now hopes to move . Mrs Aresti 's nightmare began when she noticed a foul smell coming from her bathroom and discovered an unidentifiable brown substance bubbling up through the plughole in her bath . Scroll down for video . Traumatic : Theodosia Aresti was left devastated when her flat became flooded with raw sewage . ' I always keep my bath clean and I looked down and all I could see was this brown stuff coming out , ' she remembers . 'It was bad . It was very bad . Within half an hour , it [ the bath ] was over half full . ' But worse was to come . '10 , 20 minutes later , the bath stopped filling but the toilet , it made a terrific noise and then , when I looked , it was half full . 'Then it started filling up and filling up and filling up . And then it was gushing out . It started flooding the flat everywhere . ' With raw sewage pouring into her flat , Mrs Aresti phoned her daughter Kiki and grandson Nicos and begged them to come to her aid . She also got in touch with the company in charge of maintaining the nine-story block of flats to tell them that waste was pouring into her flat . ' I phoned the maintenance people and I said , it looks like sewage stuff coming out the bath . He said , sorry , no , no , no , you should get a plumber because I 'm busy and it 's Sunday . Disgusting : The flood started with her bath , which started filling up with 'brown lumps ' Overflowing : Mrs Aresti 's toilet began overflowing with sewage 'like a volcano ' according to grandson Nicos . Revolting : The toilet and bath both began overflowing with sewage , flooding Mrs Aresti 's flat in the process . 'When the man arrived , it was too late . He was too late . Everything was ruined . ' Grandson Nicos Doukanaris was one of the first to come to his grandmother 's aid and says the toilet resembled a 'volcano ' . ' I came in through the front door and I could see the toilet , ' he remembers . 'It was like a volcano , that 's how bad it was . Just never ending . You could see she was visibly distraught . ' But worse was to come . Despite the best efforts of the plumber , who spent four hours trying to stem the tide of sewage , the excrement was strewn all over the flat and had soaked into carpets . Worst of all was the mess in her bedroom which , according to daughter Kiki , both smelled 'foul ' and 'was unhealthy ' thanks to the sodden carpet . Maintenance workers , however , were unable to visit for four days - leaving a distressed Mrs Aresti to sleep in a room filled with sewage for three nights . Devastated : The disgusting episode has left Mrs Aresti desperate to find a new home . Furious : Mrs Aresti 's daughter Kiki and grandson Nicos were took part in the clean-up operation . Damage : Mrs Aresti 's bedroom carpet was soaked in sewage and had to be replaced afterwards . 'The bedroom it was soaked , ' she says . 'The carpet was full of sewage but I was still sleeping in there . It was disgusting . I felt dirty , I could n't eat . All I was doing was just crying . ' Eventually , workmen came in to remove the carpet but when they lifted it up , the movement caused her wardrobe to collapse - soaking everything in it in sewage . It was , says Kiki , the final straw for her mother . 'It was one thing after another and it just destroyed her flat completely , ' she says . 'It almost gave her a nervous breakdown . ' Although Mrs Aresti 's carpet has now been replaced and her flat fumigated , she says the experience has left her desperate to find a new home . 'If I could afford to move , I would move from here tomorrow because I just do n't feel happy any more , ' she says . 'But I do n't know how I 'm going to be able to do it . I 'm just going to have to wait . '
Theodosia Aresti , 71 , was horrified when sewage erupted from her bath . The cause was a blocked pipe and her flat became filled with human waste . Sewage from 239 other flats spewed into her apartment . Tide of excrement soaked her carpet and left bedroom smelling 'foul ' Was forced to sleep in sewage-filled flat for four days . Workmen eventually fixed the problem and replaced the carpet . She says the experience left her needing counselling . Theodosia Aresti appears on Britain 's Horror Homes , four hours at 8pm on Channel 5 .