Misery for tenants as building floods (From Stroud News and Journal)

Misery for tenants as building floods

DISASTER has struck an Avening block of housing association flats for the second time in less than a month.

A burst boiler pipe in one of the plush Old Baptist Chapel flats flooded tenants out of their homes on Monday night, soaking carpets, furniture, fittings, electrical appliances and family heirlooms.

Joe and Julie Shingler only moved into their flat last weekend but this week they were paddling around inches deep in water after discovering a burst pipe.

A 230-year-old grandfather clock worth around was ruined and Mr Shingler intends to claim compensation in the region of £10,000.

Firefighters called to the scene could not get into the flats, which are owned by Raglan Housing Association, to seal the leak because the Shinglers were out for the evening and had the only key.

The water was turned off at the street mains and the couple were forced to seek overnight refuge with relatives in Tetbury.

Mr Shingler, who has been forced into a leave of absence from his R&D job at Honda's Swindon factory, said:

"We are gutted. My wife is distraught. We've got to be re-housed because there's no way we can stay here."

Three of the four other flats in the building were also flooded and electricity supplies were turned off leaving residents without water, light or cooking facilities.

The incident took place less than three weeks after the building's fire alarm kept residents awake overnight for14 hours, resulting in TV star tenant Lindsey Marcell missing a London audition for top cop show The Bill.

On Monday night she missed the final episode in the series of The Vice in which her daughter appears.

"It's as though the spirits don't want us to live in this building,' she said.

And she added: "I'm so disgusted at Raglan. We were all panicking on Monday night. I was on the phone when suddenly, whoosh, all this water came pouring through. The floor was flooded six inches deep and we had to take refuge in the graveyard."

Mike Hanrahan, Raglan head of general housing services, said the worst affected residents - the Shinglers and Mrs Marcell - would be given alternative accommodation if they had nowhere else to stay.

And he indicated the company would examine compensation claims from residents if damages to their goods were not covered by private insurance.

He said: "Initially we will pursue whether they have insurance cover but failing that and subject to an investigation that would be something we would pursue.

"It's very early days and we need to clarify what has happened and what the circumstances are."

He apologised to residents for the twin disruptions over the last few weeks.

"Residents have been severely inconvenienced and we very much regret it.

"These properties were built under current building standards. We've just been unfortunate lately with the faulty alarm and now with the plumbing system," he said.