Floody HELL! New-build homeowners forced to build makeshift barricades to stop torrents of flood water cascading down hill into their £650K properties
- EXCLUSIVE: Homeowners installed makeshift defences to stop the flooding
Residents on a smart hillside estate fear their homes could be swept away after a mystery leak sent torrents of water gushing through their properties.
The desperate homeowners have had to install their own makeshift defences to stop water flooding their homes.
Householders who paid up to £650,000 for their homes in Templars Gate in Halifax, West Yorkshire, say thousands of gallons of water cascading from the hill above their homes have put them at risk of landslides and flooding.
Britannia Developments built the tiny estate but went bust soon after the houses were finished in 2011.
In the past two months, a river of water has washed down the hill, triggering landslides that buckled garden fences and covered gardens in mud.
Residents on a smart hillside estate fear their homes could be swept away after a mystery leak sent torrents of water gushing through their properties
Householders who paid up to £650,000 for their homes in Templars Gate in Halifax, West Yorkshire, say thousands of gallons of water cascading from the hill above their homes have put them at risk of landslides and flooding
Caroline Hoyle, 35, (pictured) a beautician, and husband Paul, 43, a company director, are among the worst affected
Britannia Developments built the tiny estate but went bust soon after the houses were finished in 2011. Pictured: The position of the leak
Five houses have been affected so far and two more are at risk of flooding if the temporary defences fail.
The residents have repeatedly complained to Yorkshire Water, Calderdale Council and developers of a nearby housing estate to identify the cause of the problem.
Yet people living in the cul-de-sac blame multiple leaks in a 200-year-old aqueduct, a buried water storage trench, part of a reservoir network that supplies water to the area, higher up the hill behind their houses.
They are calling on Yorkshire Water fix it but say so far it has only been ‘patched up ‘and needs major repairs so the land can then be stabilised by the council.
In the meantime, some victims have resorted to home-made sandbags to keep the floods at bay. They have also rolled up giant plastic sheets to create a plastic trough to funnel the water running off the hill into the storm drain, rather than it flooding the whole street.
Although the houses themselves are so far not flooded, engineers warn that the timber-framed properties have already suffered structural damage from the inundation.
Residents say they are so worried about what will happen next they have unable to sleep for weeks.
Karen Longden, 55, a key account manager for a retail display company, who moved in two years ago, said: ‘We don’t know how long the aqueduct has been leaking. Could be for years’
The desperate homeowners have had to install their own makeshift defences to stop water flooding their homes
Five houses have been affected so far and two more are at risk of flooding if the temporary defences fail
The residents have repeatedly complained to Yorkshire Water, Calderdale Council and developers of a nearby housing estate to identify the cause of the problem
Yet people living in the cul-de-sac blame multiple leaks in a 200-year-old aqueduct, a buried water storage trench, part of a reservoir network that supplies water to the area, higher up the hill behind their houses
Their gardens and driveways have already been swamped and they are now living in fear of a mud ‘avalanche’ as the ground becomes more and more unstable.
Shocking snaps shared on social media also show water coming off the hillside and flowing like a waterfall down garden steps.
Karen Longden, 55, a key account manager for a retail display company, who moved in two years ago, said: ‘We don’t know how long the aqueduct has been leaking. Could be for years.
‘It was reported in May 2021 and no one has done anything apart from taking samples.
They are calling on Yorkshire Water fix it but say so far it has only been ‘patched up ‘and needs major repairs so the land can then be stabilised by the council
In the meantime, some victims have resorted to home-made sandbags to keep the floods at bay
They have also rolled up giant plastic sheets to create a plastic trough to funnel the water running off the hill into the storm drain, rather than it flooding the whole street
‘They say the landslip is due to rain which is nonsense. It has been an absolute nightmare. No one wants to know.
‘Number 4 has got water flowing through their property and had to rig up a plastic trough to funnel the water into the storm drain otherwise it would have flooded the roads.
‘I am shocked the powers that be are sitting back and nothing to stop people water flowing into people’s properties. We have been told the aqueduct has three leaks.
‘You can hear water running wherever you are in the house. It is a constant worry and we are frightened it is going to get worse.’
Caroline Hoyle, 35, a beautician, and husband Paul, 43, a company director, are among the worst affected.
Mrs Hoyle said: ‘It’s a bit of nightmare. We have lost 4m of garden from the landslip.
‘Home Insurance will not help until it touches the property so we cannot make a claim.’
The couple then rolled up giant plastic sheets to form a channel so the torrent of water go straight down the drain rather than swamping the street.
She added: ‘Calderdale council has agreed the land is unstable but are not prepared to do any works until the leaking aqueduct is fixed – and they say YW needs to do that.
Caroline Hoyle’s garden has been left unusable along with her neighbours after a landslide caused by a leaking aqueduct. Pictured: Yorkshire Water groundworkers on site looking at the issue
Nick Powell, 43, fears his family home will be next. An operations director for infrastructure services to local and national government, he lives in the property with his wife and two kids, 11 and 12
‘So we are going around in circles. Until the leak is repaired they cannot stop the surface water which is causing the land movement.
‘We first contacted YW and Calderdale council in March 2021. We have been backwards and forwards with them every since then.
‘Then the trees and fences started to lean we realised there was a huge landslip.
‘We have been here just over three years. We exchanged contracts during the first lock down with the intention of this being our forever home. It seemed to have everything.
‘Now we don’t feel safe here. We have a little boy who is four so we have asked if it’s safe to stay in our home and no one is telling us anything.
‘The council say they cannot do surveys on the land because it is too unsafe which is not very reassuring.
‘YW need to get their finger out and fix the aqueduct so we can feel safe in our homes. Your home is supposed to where you feel safe and at the moment we don’t.’
Nick Powell, 43, fears his family home will be next. An operations director for infrastructure services to local and national government, he lives in the property with his wife and two kids, 11 and 12.
He said: ‘We are asking if it is safe to live in our houses with small children and all we get from the council and YW is they don’t believe there is an issue.
‘Number 4’s garden is shrinking literally by the day. YW mobilised a team on site which exposed the 1m wide Victorian aqueduct.
‘We looked inside it and you could see the walls collapsing and where the water was leaking from.
He said: ‘We are asking if it is safe to live in our houses with small children and all we get from the council and YW is they don’t believe there is an issue’
He added: ‘Number 4’s garden is shrinking literally by the day. YW mobilised a team on site which exposed the 1m wide Victorian aqueduct’
‘This week YW have stopped the flow in the aqueduct for investigation after finding multiple breaches from the walls collapsing and from tree branches and roots.
‘So they have patched it up and are still investigating and proposing to turn the water back on.
‘Since they stopped the flow the flooding drastically reduced so it clearly points to the aqueduct.
‘We still have temporary pipes and bags to divert the water away but we want permanent repairs, and improved drainage. ‘
Local Tory Penny Hutchinson, who has been championing the residents’ cause, said: ‘I am pressing the council to do something about it since it is surface water.
‘I accept there is a lot of work going on to find out the exact cause and rectify it.
‘But in the meantime they have had the landslide and they need to be protecting their properties.
‘There is lot of squabbling about whose responsibility it is, but this is impacting people’s lives every day and someone needs to help.’
Neil Dewis, director of water at Yorkshire Water, said tests had been carried out on an aqueduct at the top of the hill.
He said: ‘We’ve been looking into this since April, working with the council. We’ve tested our aqueduct and we can’t see any significant leaks coming out.
‘This issue really started in August when we had a lot of rain. We know there are a lot of land water drains, we know a lot of things have been moved with the [nearby] development, so we just need to work with everyone to get to the bottom of it.’
A Calderdale Council spokesperson said: ‘We understand this is a worrying situation for the residents affected, and we are taking their concerns very seriously.
‘This is a complex case because there are many potential sources and routes for water to flow towards Templars Gate, and there are several possible causes of the landslip.
‘We have advised residents that because the council doesn’t own or operate any assets in the field behind their homes, we don’t have responsibility for repairs or liability for any damage.
‘We know this is a difficult situation.’
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