Couple sues council claiming £35k damage to home

David and Anne Strobel say they have lived "years of hell over this"

A couple is suing Devon County Council after claiming £35,000 of flood damage has destroyed part of their home.

Anne and David Strobel say it took the council three years to repair a broken pipe that was leaking water into their property in Morthoe.

The pair say the council will not give them compensation because, despite fixing the pipe three times, it now says it does not belong to the local authority.

Devon County Council says it cannot comment because of the ongoing legal action.

An "old and fragile" clay pipe kept breaking

Anne Strobel, 71, says the council was first called to repair the pipe in 2018, but says that because it was "old and fragile" it kept breaking.

Mrs Strobel says the Highways office told the council repair team to put a sandbag over it and fill the road back in.

She said her husband had pleaded with them not to do this because he knew what impact it would have on their nearby home.

The couple says the lower floor of their home had to be completely dismantled with the concrete floor broken up.

Mrs Strobel said they "were horrified" when water began to percolate up through the floor.

A sump and pump were used to get rid of water from the couple's home

The couple says they were not insured for the damage and have been fighting to get compensation from Devon County Council.

The couple is now suing the council in a civil court, with a date set for February.

David Strobel, 76, said if the council had fixed the issue properly the first time, "none of this would be necessary".

Mrs Strobel says she will not give up and describes it as "a matter of justice".

In a statement, Devon County Council said: “We can’t comment on individual cases which are subject to ongoing legal proceedings.”