'I woke up to a lake in my flat'
Alice CorbleSeveral flats were "badly" affected, said one residentA woman has described "waking up to a lake" in her flat after she claimed a water main was not installed correctly in her housing association property.Alice Corble, a shared ownership tenant of Southern Housing (SH), said the ground floor of her flat in Hove, East Sussex, was "catastrophically flooded", leaving her homeless and facing a bill of several thousand pounds. Ms Corble, who only moved into the new development three months ago, claimed SH has not done enough to help residents, with eight other flats "badly affected" by the water. The housing association said it was "sorry to hear" Ms Corble and other residents had suffered damage to their homes. SH and the estate managing agent Oakley said work was done "late into the night" to complete the repairs."We're still determining the cause of the leak," SH said. Oakley added the "failed" pipe was outside its "maintenance responsibilities".'Jetting like a fire hydrant'Ms Corble told the BBC she awoke to a "roaring noise" just after 6:00 GMT on 18 November. "I was confused [and] tired," she said. "I got out of bed... and my feet were immediately submerged in water." The 46-year-old added she discovered water "jetting like a fire hydrant" out of a water meter cupboard in the building's communal hallway. Ms Corble said firefighters arrived, but they were unable to halt the flow as SH had the keys to the water supply room and was not answering the emergency phone. The issue was eventually completely fixed after 14 hours, though Southern Housing contractors were "playing on their phones" as residents tried to "save their stuff", according to her. 'I woke up to a lake in my flat'Despite paying service charges to the housing association, SH has not supported residents with repair costs or provided sufficient equipment to rectify the damage, Ms Corble continued. "They didn't really check on our welfare or anything," she added. "My mental health is very, very fragile right now," Ms Corble continued, detailing that three years of work had been damaged by the water. SH told the BBC it attended the building "immediately" after being informed of the major leak. It said its team used a wet-dry vacuum to remove water in communal areas on the day of the leak and installed dehumidifiers to ensure it dried properly."Our team knocked on every home within the building on the day to offer help and support," a spokesperson added, detailing that the association had delivered bottled water for residents and sent regular communications to keep them updated. 'Impossible to speak to a human being'Ms Corble added she has "slipped" into debt as she needs to pay for equipment to repair the damage and emergency accommodation. She added the building on Grand Avenue is now a "health and safety risk" as fire doors have been damaged and the fire alarm system is not working. Ms Corble claimed SH should reimburse residents as the pipe exploded because contractors did not fit it properly. "Residents have had next to no contact with Southern," she said. "It is almost impossible to speak to a human being."SH said as homeowners it was residents' responsibility to liaise with the insurance company to claim for any damages. The fire alarm was tested and in full working order, it added, urging any residents with concerns to get in contact. Alice CorbleThe water meter pipe (pictured) was "spraying like fire hydrant", said Ms CorbleSH - one of the UK's largest housing associations - has 80,000 homes across South East England, as well as London, the Isle of Wight and the Midlands.Previous BBC investigations have found that vulnerable tenants living in SH properties faced dangerous, dirty conditions, some without basic amenities such as a shower or secure front door.SH said at the time it took allegations of service failure extremely seriously and its number one priority was safeguarding vulnerable residents.
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