18/4/2008

A PENSIONER is still waiting for repairs to start on her home, which was devastated by last summer's floods.

Lesley Lovell's home in The Causeway, Steventon, was submerged under four inches of water on July 20 last year, following torrential downpours.

Last week, Ms Lovell, 68, said her Direct Line insurers had ignored many of her pleas for help.

She claimed that she was forced to stay in her home for three months after the floods, as no other accommodation had been found for her. And, after a building firm cleared her house in July, a burst gas pipe led to her suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning.

She was eventually re-housed in a flat in Thames Court, Abingdon.

Ms Lovell said: "I started to get sick and nauseous. I thought I could smell gas but nobody else could. They just told me I was upset.

"I was ignored and, for three months, every one of my phone calls was left unanswered."

Divorced Ms Lovell said she suffered with bouts of depression every time she returned to her house, which she had lived in for 40 years.

She said: "My house is deteriorating. Mould is growing on damp walls upstairs and pools of water spread over the floors every time it rains. As other people, affected by the floods, returned to repaired homes in November, I was at last allowed to leave. Rats got in and damaged my boiler. Now I must pay for a new one.

"It depresses me too much to return even for short visits."

Lizzie Harrison, a spokesman for Direct Line, said that the time delay was because they had been waiting for Ms Lovell to supply repair quotes and over the list of the repairs needed.

She added: "Ms Lovell intends to raise the floors of the home as part of the repair process. Raising the floors constitutes a significant improvement to the property, which is not covered by the terms of the policy.

"This has significantly delayed Direct Line's efforts to start repair work on the home.

"As soon as we have the quotes from Ms Lovell, we can take the matter forward."

Ms Harrison also said that Ms Lovell asked to stay in her home until October. Accommodation was then found for her.

Ms Harrison said: "Within two days of receiving Ms Lovell's request for accommodation, we had offered her a range of options."