Council vows to recoup flood costs at £8.3m office

Voreda House in Penrith was closed after a plumbing failure September

A council said it will recoup costs for water damage to its £8.3m office, caused by a plumbing failure just over a year after it opened.

Westmorland and Furness Council shut its Voreda House building in Penrith, Cumbria, for several days in September due to a flood on the first floor.

The authority said costs to repair the damage were still being calculated more than six weeks later, with some staff areas yet to reopen and "extensive" work continuing until the end of the year.

The building was £6m over budget and three years late when it opened in May 2024, with a review finding dozens of key issues in decision making by the now defunct Eden District Council.

A spokesman for Westmorland and Furness Council said the flood was caused by a "plumbing connection that failed due to excess water pressure".

"The council is in discussion with third parties with a view to recoup the costs," they said.

Once the leak damage is repaired, "the longstanding issue of the toilets and drainage" would also be addressed, with work expected to start in the new year and continue until spring.

The council did not explain what the issues were, but described the drainage work as "complex".