Action Desk: Sheffield mum's anger over garden flooding due to poor drainage

Stood ankle deep in standing rain water, the look on little Henry's face says it all.
Henry, seven, stood in the flooded gardenHenry, seven, stood in the flooded garden
Henry, seven, stood in the flooded garden

Stood ankle deep in standing rain water, the look on little Henry’s face says it all.

All the seven-year-old wants to do is play in the garden but that’s not been possible due to persistent flooding.

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Angry mum Lucy Simpson, 32, of Longley Avenue West, Shirecliffe, has said the problems with her garden have still not been fixed despite repeated calls to Keepmoat Housing.

Ms Simpson claims the housing firm has ‘accepted responsibilty’ and ‘did not install adequate drainage’ when the house was first built in 2015.

The mother-of-one complained within four weeks of moving in back in May 2015 and was told to ‘let the garden settle’.

After months of no improvements, Ms Simpson complained again in January 2016.

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A workman came out and said there was a ‘drainage problem’ system.

Holes were drilled into the lower patio walls which ‘made the problem worse’.

Ms Simpson said another workman was sent out and said the garden needed ripping up and relaying with adequate drainage.

She added she’s concerned about the possibility of damp to the property if the standing water on the garden persists and claims the situation is the same for another five properties on her road.

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Ms Simpson told Action Desk: “I am a single parent with a young boy who just wants to explore his new garden.

“It is not safe to do so at present and has not been for the past 18 months.

“I work hard full-time to provide for my child and I was so excited to be able to buy my first home for me and my son and now feel that I have been robbed of my money and forgotten about completely with no one motivated to solve my problem but me.

“Keepmoat have admitted that there was never any drainage system fitted in the garden when the house was built, this also affects all six new build properties on my side of the road.”

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A spokesman for Keepmoat said: “We have been looking into the drainage issue at Ms Simpson’s property in great detail, to properly identify the cause and rectify this as soon as possible.

We are actively recruiting a team to carry out the works and our customer care team will continue to have regular contact and open communication with Ms Simpson throughout the process.

“We appreciate this has been an inconvenience and would like to thank Ms Simpson for her patience and provide assurances this will be resolved at the earliest opportunity.”