Family living apart after burst pipe flooded home

A family have been forced to move out of their home in Barnsley after a nearby burst pipe caused a wall to collapse and flooded their house and garden.

Sarah and Mark Davis are living separately from their three children until the water damage to their Clifton Avenue home is repaired.

The burst pipe, on Wakefield Road, also affected about 20 other homes on 20 June and Yorkshire Water said it is working to get customers' properties and gardens "back to normal as quickly as possible".

Sarah said she is "devastated and anxious" as the family await a report from their insurance company on the extent of the damage.

The family were packing to go on a camping trip when the teaching assistant noticed water in their garden.

Initially Sarah, 37, thought it was from a neighbour's hosepipe but she soon realised it must have been from the burst water pipe on nearby Wakefield Road.

She said she and her husband, 42, moved their valuables to safety in the hope of salvaging something.

The burst pipe also caused a boundary wall at the bottom of a garden on Wakefield Road, which is behind Clifton Avenue, to give way.

"We heard a big almighty crash and then just a gush of water, which obviously was the wall collapsing," Sarah added.

The couple say they had just completed renovation work on the property at a cost of £15,000.

Mark said the newly laid artificial grass, Indian stonework, the shed and its contents as well as the downstairs carpets were damaged by the flooding.

Staff from cleaning company ServiceMaster Restore, who are employed by Yorkshire Water, ripped up the carpets including those in the children's playroom to dry out about one inch (2.5cm) of water.

However, the work topped after concerns about potential water contamination were raised.

The couple are now liaising with their insurers to assess the damage and said having to turn to their own providers was "frustrating".

"We've been living with friends and obviously kids have been staying at other places," said Sarah.

A Yorkshire Water spokesperson said: "We understand incidents of this nature are distressing for customers and apologise for the inconvenience caused, we are working as quickly as we can.

"A case manager has been assigned to this as a single point of contact for affected customers to assist them with any claims or ongoing issues related to the burst."

Insurers on behalf of the residents may be able to counter claim back some of the costs from Yorkshire Water if it is liable, the company confirmed.

A ServiceMaster Restore spokesperson added: "We're working alongside Yorkshire Water to support families getting back into their homes safely and as soon as possible."

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North