A COUPLE who could be prosecuted for failing to fix their broken septic tank are pleading for financial help.

Gillian and Robert Bartlett, of Shoreditch, near Taunton, were reported to environmental health officers in March last year after their waste streamed into a neighbour’s field.

They had been planning on replacing the ageing tank when Mr Bartlett was laid off, and then, in September, health bosses gave the couple 90 days to do the work, but they could not afford a replacement tank.

The council is threatening legal action, but the couple want it to consider helping them before bringing charges.

Mrs Bartlett, a nurse, said: “Why can’t they lend us the money to get it sorted? We can then pay them back on a monthly basis.

“If we’re taken to court they’ll probably fine us, but we won’t be able to pay it and it still won’t get the tank problem solved.”

The couple have had a water treatment plant installed at their home, but the supplier will not connect it until they have completed their monthly payments.

A Taunton Deane Council spokeswoman said it could not comment on individual cases, adding that environmental health officers may be alerted to problems regarding broken or faulty septic tanks.

She said: “In such cases, if remedial action isn’t taken the council will serve a legal notice requiring repairs to be made within a specified time – broken septic tanks can cause public health problems.

“In cases of financial hardship the council will do all it can within its powers to arrange financial assistance, but this may not always be possible.”