A sandwich shop owner said his business is being killed by an overflowing drain which spills faeces on to his doorstep.

Ricardo Chasebi, owner of Ricardo’s in Oxford’s Covered Market, said he had waited for more than three months for a permanent solution to the daily appearance of human waste and toilet paper outside his shop.

He said takings had fallen by a third since the drain first overflowed before Christmas.

“It is killing my business,” he said.

“It happens every day. The smell is disgusting.”

Mr Chasebi first contacted Oxford City Council — his landlord at the market — about the problem in December.

Council officers cleared the offending drain on a number of occasions, but a spokesman said a sewer in Market Street, which is the responsibility of Thames Water, was causing the problem.

The water company has visited the site several times but has yet to set a date for work to begin on fixing the sewer.

Mr Chasebi said: “I am feeling bad. They could have done it months ago.”

Ricardo’s manageress Anita Wheeler said the smell was exacerbated by the shop’s extractor fans, and added: “It is just disgusting.

“The drain is packed full of faeces and tissue paper.

“We close the door because the stench is that bad.”

Mick McCarthy, owner of nearby McCarthy Bros fruit stall, said: “It’s been going on for ages.

“He’s had no end of problems with it. Some days the problem is unbearable.

“The guy has got it literally right on his doorstep.

“It can’t help but affect trade.”

A council spokesman said the problem was complex as it involved several drains and outlet pipes.

She added: “Thames Water have visited and inspected the site.

“We are now waiting for them to return to the site to excavate part of the drain and instigate repairs.”

A Thames Water spokesman said: “We have visited the area on many occasions to clear blockages, and to investigate the source of the problems.

“We have been able to remove fat, grease and debris which has been blocking the pipe, but there is also a defect in the sewer which needs to be addressed.

“Sewer flooding is an unpleasant and distressing experience and we will always treat these cases as a priority.

“We are therefore in discussions with the council to ensure that any works planned will be done so with the minimum possible disruption to the public.

“No date for the work is planned at this time, although we would hope to start as soon as we possibly can.”