Man's shock over collapsed wall after storm

A man said he heard an "enormous bang" when a 30ft (9.1m) long wall had collapsed, creating a "chasm" on his property.

John Owens, 85, said the wall came down on 31 July during a storm at about 17:00 BST, causing "considerable damage" to the outside of his home in Fleckney, Leicestershire.

Mr Owens said the storm lasted no more than 20 minutes, but still caused floods in the centre of the village and the damage at his home.

His insurer LV said a contractor visited the property and their view was that "defects to the wall over a long period of time was the cause" of the damage.

Mr Owens said the damage currently makes the parking area of his property "unsafe".

He said: "All of a sudden the rain really started to come down.

"I heard an enormous bang that shook the bungalow.

"When I went outside my back door, I couldn't believe my eyes."

Mr Owens, who has lived in the house for 11 years, said it could take more than three skips just to clear the debris left outside his home.

He added: "The water came off the roof like a waterfall. It was horrendous. Like sitting behind Niagara falls.

"We’ve had some really bad winds and storms but it’s never done any damage except this last time.

"It really hit me hard. That night, I don’t know how I coped with it."

Mr Owens made a claim with his insurer LV, which he said was refused.

A spokesperson from LV said: "As part of our assessment, we instructed one of our building contractors to take a look at the claim and produce a report on their findings.

"Their view was that defects to the wall over a long period of time was the cause, with no soakaway installed for rainwater running off the property, therefore saturating the ground.

"There were also no scorching marks or signs of a lightning strike in the affected area which we would expect to see.

"We are re-reviewing our customer’s claim and will carry out further enquiries before making our final decision on the outcome."

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