Sewage explosion horror causes £47k of damage to flat – but water board refuses to pay

dailystar.co.uk:

family flat causing a jaw-dropping £47,000 in damages.To make matters even worse for graphic designer David Benqué, 40, and his partner Claire O'Brien, 42, Thames Water have refused to hand out compensation because "there were no previous issues with the sewer".The parents of two young children say £32,000 worth of belongings in their South London home was all washed up forcing them to spend £15,000 on starting afresh elsewhere in Croydon.On top of denying any negligence over the disaster, Thames Water asked the couple to sign a letter agreeing to receiving nothing for their 'un-restorable' items, MyLondon reports.David and Claire refused to sign the letter and had to fork out £1,500 just to get rid of the wrecked possessions following the flood at Anerley Park on September 14, 2021David told MyLondon: "I was alerted to the sound and the smell, something did not seem right.

I saw a torrent of water. The pipe that exploded was under a bin so there was a bunch of rubbish floating. "I opened the door and saw the whole staircase was like a waterfall.

I closed the door and for a couple of seconds my brain said it would be fine. Then I knew it was not going to be okay so I woke my partner up."Once Claire was awake they grabbed the children, their teddies and put an iPad up high.

David said he got his coat and laptop, but the computer later fell into the sludge.Recalling the horror, he said: "The water was coming through the door so we thought it was time to go out, then the door opened and let a torrent of sewage in.