Chingford: Residents say bird poo flood compensation not enough

Residents of council flats flooded with water mixed with bird poo say they have been refused adequate compensation.

The four-storey building in Chingford suffered floods from a leaking rooftop water tank last October.

Some residents claim it has cost them thousands of pounds in damaged goods.

Waltham Forest Council said limited compensation was offered in a "gesture of goodwill" and that the bird poo had seeped in from the roof along with the flood water.

Sylvia Sheppard, 76, who lives on the ground floor, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the council had only offered her £290 for damage, which she said totalled about £3,800.

This includes an expensive memory foam mattress and a fridge freezer full of expensive meats and fish, she says.

She said the council was "liable because they failed to maintain the building, and obviously that makes me very upset".

"My flat is really, really pristine.

"They didn't have evidence that they maintained it, there were bags of bird [poo] pulled out - they had to send people up there in white suits because it was so bad."

Jane Addison, who lives on the third floor, claims the council should pay her £6,800 for extensive damage to her property including her floor, cooker, other kitchen items and a digital camera.

She said the council told her it hoped to "mitigate the losses" by offering her £1,270.

This was calculated by deciding that every item should be capped at £100 along with a 25% deduction on all items for "wear and tear".

Ms Addison said: "[The council] said it was their fault at a meeting and that the insurance would have to go through the council anyway. It was their neglect that caused this."

"It's been delay, delay, delay, then they agreed it was their fault but said 'here, have literally nothing'."

Ms Addison said the council had ignored her requests for details of whether the water tank had been checked or tested in recent years.

The council's deputy leader and cabinet member for housing and regeneration, Ahsan Khan, said all residents had been offered "internal redecoration" of their flats.

"Unfortunately, none of the residents had content insurance so, as a gesture of goodwill, we offered compensation for items that had proof of purchase, or a capped amount for items with no proof of purchase," he said.

Mr Khan said two residents rejected the offer but that it remained open.

He said monthly water checks have been conducted since the floods to "ensure tenants' safety".

A council spokesperson said the leaking water tank itself was not contaminated with bird poo, but rather it had seeped through from the roof along with the flood water.

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