Landlord fed up with sinkhole on street in South Jackson

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - A massive sinkhole in the middle of a street in South Jackson is not only posing health concerns but also requiring frequent maintenance inside a renter’s home.

In fact, the home’s landlord says she’s forced to pay around $500 for every plumbing visit after a heavy downpour.

This sinkhole has sat on Meadow Lane Road and Wildwood Terrace in South Jackson for over a year and a half, according to those in the area.

“Every time it rains it fills up; it smells horrible as you can tell,” Angela Gray said.

Gray, a local landlord, says she’s at her breaking point.

She rents the home to a family who says every time it rains, the hole fills up and causes everyone in the area’s sewage to back up inside their homes.

“Some of the problems that they have are that when it’s all backed up like that, the toilet won’t flush, bubbles, they can’t let water out of the tub or out of the sink,” Gray said.

According to Gray, the plumber tells her the problems stem from a collapsed sewer line, and if it’s not fixed soon it’ll only get worse.

“It comes back up through other pipes in the house because it has nowhere to go. The Smell! And you can smell it now, it’s terrible and they had the smell in the house,” she said.

Gray says one of her most alarming concerns is the sinkhole’s threat to children in the neighborhood.

“My tenant has a five-year-old, he can’t come out here and play because something could happen. You got children that live in these houses right here, the school bus stops right here, not to mention if these get moved, a car hit and it can be fatal,” Gray said.

She claims she’s called city officials about the issue a number of times, only to be told they aren’t sure when they can make repairs.

“I want it resolved, I want the sewer line repaired, fixed, and replaced not just covered up,” Gray said.

We also reached out to the city about the sinkhole, but have yet to hear back.

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