Witham family suffer 'hell' with flood-destroyed house

Danielle Halford, 39, has lived with her husband and three children, aged 13, 18 and 19, on Baker Way for five years.

In October 2023, a “serious flood” from their upstairs bathroom caused the kitchen ceiling to collapse.

Works to repair the house were due to start today. 

Danielle said: “This flood completely destroyed my kitchen and has made the bathroom dangerous.

“We were decanted for several weeks into a hotel, and we returned to the property even though not a single repair was done.”

The leak has been ongoing throughout the past ten months, which has led to black mould and an unusable kitchen.

Her family were warned not to set foot in the bathroom, so that they were left without a bath or shower.

Danielle has been cooking from a microwave and air fryer in the living room since October, until on Monday, August 5, another severe leak from the bathroom tripped the house’s electric.

The family were decanted again for two nights, and they returned with no repairs scheduled.

Unsafe- The black mould has grown all along the back wall of Danielle's kitchen. (Image: Danielle Halford)

Danielle said: “The last ten months have been complete hell for myself and my family.

“My health is suffering. I have active heart failure, and this has caused daily stress.

“My daughter and husband suffer from mental health conditions and have had to leave the property to escape the disaster we live in.

“I have battled for ten months to have the repairs done on the property after being promised a new kitchen and bathroom, but this has still not been done.”

Dangerous- Danielle's kitchen and bathroom have been deemed dangerous. (Image: Danielle Halford)

A spokesman for Sanctuary said: “We are committed to supporting our customer and while it has not always been possible to gain access to this property for appointments, we can confirm that work in the bathroom will be carried out on Monday August 19, with further repairs being arranged for the kitchen.

“We are sorry for the time it has taken to resolve this issue and will ensure the work required is completed as soon as possible.”  

A spokesman for Braintree Council said: “Braintree District Council’s Environmental Health Department were contacted by the tenants in relation to a collapsed ceiling on Wednesday, August 7.

“We contacted Sanctuary Housing that afternoon and there is an active case for this.  

“We will continue to liaise with the resident and Sanctuary to monitor the situation and ensure that the repairs are undertaken.”

Axis Europe, the repairs company Danielle had been communicating with since October, works with some of the UK’s largest building owners, landlords and facilities managers and were contacted for comment.