Gayton family lament damp house and water shortage after burst pipe

A housing developer has apologised after a man and his three sons have been left without running water due to a burst pipe which caused the property to become very damp.

Gayton resident Andrew Neve said water has been dripping from a light socket in his son's bedroom and damp patches have covered the walls in many of the rooms due to the burst in the loft.

Mr Neve said: "I might as well be homeless. There are patches in my kitchen running all the way down and I have had to move one of my sons out of his room and cram all the stuff into the front room.

"His carpet was literally squelching with water. If I put my hand in a board, water comes out over my fingers but there are no dehumidifiers to dry it. The loft has been completely saturated. I need to get out of here."

The burst water pipe was first reported to the Longhurst Group last Wednesday, and Mr Neve said it was not repaired until Monday. The family have been using bottled water in the house.

A spokesman for Longhurst said: “It is with regret that this issue, which was first reported to us last week, has not yet been fully resolved and we apologise to the customer involved for the inconvenience this has caused.

“In agreement with the customer, a permanent repair to fully resolve the issue has been arranged for next week. We will then arrange to for the ceiling to be repaired and remedy any staining to the walls or ceiling.

“Colleagues from our housing team remain in dialogue with the customer about his request to move and are exploring the options available to him.”

Longhurst has completed a temporary repair and said this means Mr Neve will be able to use the water supply.

As a further preventative measure, a Surestop stopcock has been fitted, meaning the family can turn the water supply on and off as required.

Mr Neve has lived at the property for seven years now and he works for Freebridge Community Housing. His sons are aged 23, 21 and 19.

He told the Lynn News he has not been offered another place to live because Longhurst have said there is nothing available, although he disputes that claim.

Multiple workers from Longhurst came to visit the property, including at 10.10pm one night, and Mr Neve said he was told the work would not be completed until December 3 at one stage.

He said he has had previous issues at the property including no hot water for three weeks during the first lockdown, and having to wear jackets and duvets indoors due to the high cost of the electricity.