A hostel resident claims he is being evicted for speaking to The Argus after he found human faeces seeping out of his shower drain.

Cordell Leitch, 25, struggled to find the source of an unpleasant smell when washing in rented accommodation at the YMCA Portslade and enlisted the help of a plumber he found working in the corridor.

Mr Leitch said the plumber plunged the drain in Morton Court in Old Shoreham Road, at which point a “large amount” of human faeces began oozing out and filling the bottom of the shower.

He said: “I was more than disgusted. Water came out of the drain around my feet and now I find out there was poo in there.

“I always pay my rent on time and this is unacceptable.

“The plumber was surprised too but no one apologised to me and I wasn’t offered alternative washing facilities. I did not feel comfortable using the shower afterwards.”

Mr Leitch claims that since contacting The Argus, he was given 28 days to leave the premises.

An Argus photographer was also grilled by two members of staff when he met Mr Leitch in the street outside the building.

Mr Leitch said: “It’s really unfair and wrong. I have lived here for three years and now I have nowhere to go.

“I lost my temper with staff when I made the complaint because I was disgusted at the conditions I was living in, but I only received the notice once I spoke to the paper.”

Brighton YMCA spokesman Mark Wainwright denied the eviction and inquiries from the press were linked and said: “The plumbing issue and the notice are two completely separate matters.

“We do not comment publically on specific eviction cases but it is our policy to ensure staff and other residents are protected from repeated episodes of abusive, threatening and intimidating behaviour.”

He said it was not known how the blockage occurred or where it came from but no concerns were reported by the resident since the initial complaint at around 3pm on November 11.

He said: “The shower was plunged and unblocked and the blockage was removed.

“The shower was left in full working and hygienic order by 4.20pm.

“Shower plumbing at the address is not connected to toilet waste plumbing.”