Storm Arwen: Sheffield family's insurance fight after roof lost

The roof was ripped off the house during winds from Storm Arwen

A family whose roof was ripped off by Storm Arwen says their insurers claim wind speeds were not enough to cause storm damage.

Anna McGee said the flat roof at their Sheffield home was hit by 70mph (113km/h) gusts.

She said Aviva initially recorded winds of 44mph (71km/h) and refused to pay out their £18,000 claim.

The insurer said it would pay a "goodwill" gesture but it felt there were ongoing issues with the structure.

The McGee family found their roof ripped from the house and dropped onto their garden following the storm on Friday.

Anna McGee said insurance company Aviva declined their claim initially because the winds were not strong enough

Mrs McGee said when insurers Aviva sent a loss adjuster to her house she was told the winds were not strong enough, claiming a weather station recorded winds of 44mph.

It took until Tuesday for the insurance company to fit a tarpaulin over the house but Mrs McGee said water had already seeped into the walls, carpets and furniture.

"It was just like a tap on the Saturday and the Sunday with all the snow melting," she said.

"All our neighbours, who have been incredible, they came out to help and we literally had towels gaffer-taped to the wall and having to change it every 10 minutes."

Rain and melting snow had seeped into the house

Builders have been working on fixing the roof - paid for with money borrowed from family, Mrs McGee said.

"They pretty much declined our claim in full," she said, adding the insurance company had agreed to pay about £900 of the expected £18,000 repair cost.

After gathering wind data from a local construction firm's crane, Mrs McGee managed to convince the insurance company the winds were stronger than previously recorded.

The flat roof had suffered previous damage and had been patched, Aviva said in declining the insurance claim

The damage is expected to cost about £18,000, according to Mrs McGee

Aviva said in establishing the cause of damage, it needed to consider whether the storm was the dominant reason, or if the roof conditions were pre-existing and made worse by the high winds.

"Having inspected the flat roof, our surveyor found pre-existing issues with the roof covering and previous patch repairs which have been made to the roof," a spokesperson said.

"We, therefore, believe the high winds in Sheffield highlighted an ongoing issue with the flat roof covering, which were not securely fastened to the roof structure and there is no cover on a home insurance policy for damage caused by wear and tear or ongoing maintenance issues."

It said it would continue to discuss the claim with Mr and Mrs McGee.