A couple whose home and business were badly damaged by a “water surge” that hit Keswick in the summer claim to have been left high and dry by United Utilities.
:James Lamb and Ruth Burgess, who run Cumbria House bed and breakfast in Ambleside Road, accuse the water company of simply abandoning them.
Their guest house was the worst affected property in the town after high water pressure burst a flush valve on a fourth-floor toilet and led to water cascading down through the building.
Water poured through three floors bringing down ceilings and causing extensive damage to a property that they had only reopened two weeks earlier after a five-month shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The couple have spent “an extremely time consuming and stressful” three months extensively renovating the property after waiting nearly four weeks for it to dry out. This has included replacing ceilings, covings and carpets, painting and decorating and carrying out a deep clean.
They estimate that they have each spent 500 hours project managing the rebuild which has involved obtaining quotes, liaising with the insurance company and loss adjusters, creating a timeline plan for the contractors, buying new furniture and soft furnishings, writing to guests and cancelling and refunding holidays.
The couple are now excited about reopening after such a turbulent year but are extremely disappointed that United Utilities has offered no support above “a small financial gesture” to cover the lost water and their insurance excess.
“We feel completely abandoned by the company,” said James.
“They have simply told us that they are not legally liable for the damage.
“This is due to the fact that the surge did not go beyond the guideline maximum limit of 10 bar of pressure — it was apparently just under nine bar.
“It seems strange that the water pressure apparently remained within acceptable tolerances and yet caused major issues to dozens of homes in Keswick and required six roads in the area to be dug up for pipeline repairs.
“United Utilities have told us that the flooding was not due to ‘negligence or breach of statutory duty’ but have also told us that they will not provide us with a report or assessment of the incident.”
The couple have submitted a formal complaint to the company requesting information about the incident. If that is not forthcoming then they plan to seek answers through a Freedom of Information request supported by OFWAT – the water services regulation authority.
“We sincerely hope that United Utilities will want to help those affected by this incident and be honest and open about how it occurred,” said James.
“With so much uncertainty at the moment we want to open our bed and breakfast again and start trading again. And we want to know that we are safe to do so, at least from our water provider.”
A spokesman for United Utilities said: “We’re sorry that the owners of Cumbria House have experienced damage to their property. While the water pressure increased temporarily in the area in July, it remained below 10 bar.
“All pipework, including internal plumbing, should be able to withstand water pressure of up to 10 bar.
“While we are not responsible for the damage caused to Cumbria House, as a goodwill gesture we’ve offered them a cash payment. This is now a matter for the owners of Cumbria House and their insurers.”
