Flintshire tenant still waiting for repairs after repeated floods

A resident who suffered nine floods at her property in a month before being moved out say nothing has been done to fix the problem by Flintshire County Council.

Angela Jones moved into her Flintshire Council home at Hornbeam Close in Dobshill four years ago and has experienced a number of flood-related issues in that time.

She says the council has never managed to solve the issue. Things came to a head in November and December last year when she experienced nine different flooding events, with sewage flowing up through her toilet and water rising through the floor and skirting boards to flood the bungalow.

Angela was moved to a temporary new property while Flintshire County Council assessed the home and carried out any remedial work. The issues have also affected the property next door.

But five months on she says nothing has been done and she has been left living in limbo. She still has her keys to the property and visits often, but vandals have begun to dig up her garden and leave litter strewn across the vacant property.

“I am so frustrated,” she said. “When I originally moved here I believed firmly this would be my home for the rest of my life. I planted hundreds of plants in the garden, I redecorated throughout and even installed a new kitchen because I wanted it to be home.

“Now I am living in a temporary accommodation, my plants and kitchen are in storage and there is damp throughout the bungalow causing my wallpaper to peel and staining my floor and walls.

“No work has been done and I have been in contact with Flintshire County Council numerous times and I can’t get a straight answer.

“I’ve been told that they know what the problem is – it is a broken drain – but no works have started yet. But I’ve been told during separate calls to the council that the house needs to be demolished as the issues are too significant.

“Since having these issues I’ve looked around the property and found that the air bricks are almost all below floor level, which I’m sure is contributing to the flooding, but nothing is being done.

“No-one can tell me if or when I will move back in or if I will be found a permanent home elsewhere and no-one can give me an answer on whether the works will be carried out.

“This uncertainty is driving me mad. I’ve suffered severe depression over it and I don’t know how much more I can take.

“I just need answers.”

The matter is complicated by the fact that the estate developer – Waites Construction Ltd – who the council would normally turn to for significant repairs went out of business in 2010 – 10 years after the Hornbeam Close development was completed.

Waites Construction Ltd is not to be confused with Wates Group – an unrelated construction firm which has no connection to the Flintshire development and is currently still trading.

Flintshire County Council said that they were aware of Angela’s situation and that investigations were ongoing to identify necessary works.

Chief officer for Housing and Communities, Vicky Clark, said: “The wellbeing and safety of our tenants is our top priority and action was taken to ensure they are supported and accommodated throughout this process.

“An independent survey has been completed and the findings recommend further exploratory work to fully understand the underlying cause of the issues. We are working with the contractor to ensure further investigations are carried out urgently.

“We appreciate this is a difficult time for the affected residents and endeavour to get them back in their homes as quickly as possible.”

By Alec Doyle – Local Democracy Reporter