Flood-hit residents endure 'week from hell'

The flooding has caused extensive damage to flats

Residents at a block of flats in Derby say they have had a "week from hell" after their homes flooded.

People living at the building in St Helen's Street told the BBC a water pipe burst in a ground floor room housing dozens of electrical boxes on 23 July.

It led to 19 flats being evacuated, with residents moved to temporary accommodation.

Housing provider Metropolitan Thames Valley (MTVH) said it understood how stressful the situation was but it had teams working "around the clock" to help those affected.

One resident, Andrew Szmit, told the BBC: "It was so intense. There was that much water coming out you could have sailed a dinghy down the corridor.

"The electric boxes in the room it came from were saturated. Flats are destroyed - floorboards were floating down the hallway. We were trying to salvage people's belongings.

"We were told we can't stay here and that if we were to return to the building or we didn't leave our homes then we'd be arrested or removed by the police.

"To say it's been a week from hell would be an understatement."

Another resident, Chantelle, said: "One lady, who's worst affected, is really emotional. It's hard for her to even be here to see the damage it's caused.

"It's the smell as well - it's horrible and it's rising throughout the whole building."

Skirting boards have been damaged by the water

Mr Szmit said the move to alternative accommodation could have been handled better.

"We've all been scattered around Derby and Derbyshire," he said.

"On the day it happened, we were told the building was no longer habitable.

"We were told that because the water had saturated the electrical boxes, the electric had to be turned off and so did the water, and the fire alarm system wasn't working.

"We had to wait until near midnight until we were told where we'd be staying. Then we were placed into accommodation for a couple of days. We were then told by the hotel our stay was up and we were being checked out. We had no idea where we were going.

"Eventually, by 10pm on Friday, we were put into another hotel. We keep being moved from place to place. It's impacted not only mine and everybody else's mental health, but it's also impacted people's ability to go to work."

MTVH said in response: "All residents were provided with hotel accommodation on Friday, and we will continue to support them with temporary accommodation and food expenses until they can return home."

Furniture was also damaged by the flood water

Another resident, Zenel, said: "Two years ago the same thing happened. And they [MTVH] don't seem to know what will happen.

"I run my own business. I'm missing calls and losing hundreds of pounds every single day.

"I was told the expenses for food will only cover me, not my children. The whole thing is horrendous.

"First they told us it'll only be two days to fix, then the 5th August, now the 15th August. But the damage is so bad - we don't know when we can go home."

Residents also said they were worried about security at the flats following the flooding.

Chantelle said: "We have serious concerns about our safety. A lot of the electric gates and doors have been broken."

MTVH said: "We immediately put in place 24/7 security at the site, and we are urgently reviewing concerns about visibility and presence."