An Aberdeen pensioner wants more than £8,000 in compensation after a burst water pipe caused serious damage to his treasured possessions.
Ian Duncan, 74, was forced to temporarily leave his Manor Crescent home last year after water poured out of a cupboard in the hall.
Mr Duncan and partner Jackie Main said shortly before the burst, Aberdeen City Council had been carrying out repairs on the water network in the area in September last year.
Miss Main said: “All of a sudden after 3pm we just heard something bouncing.
“I checked the kitchen and there was nothing so I went into the hall and I heard something coming from the cupboard.
“I opened the door and hot water was gushing out the pipe.”
‘There was a lot of damage’
She added: “We couldn’t see anything for steam, which set off the smoke detectors. Because of the length of time they were going off, the landing alarm started going off.
“The tenants couldn’t get out the building because the landing was flooded.”
The incident, that lasted for around four hours, was made worse as the fire service were unable to find property and then find the stop cock to turn off the water.
“We were up until 1am in the morning trying to dry the carpet”, Ms Main said.
“The council told us on the Friday morning, if we weren’t out by that night they would get the police to remove us.”
In the aftermath of the flood, Mr Duncan lost a number of possessions, including his electric scooter and a three-stack stereo system as well as laminated flooring, he himself had put down.
Due to the scale of the damage, the property was condemned by Aberdeen City Council.
The building, constructed by Bancon Construction, was just 18 months old.
Mr Duncan was placed into temporary accommodation on Cornhill Drive, where he was for more than seven months. He has since been rehoused in flat on Birkhall Parade.
‘It’s a total loss’
The couple are now calling on the council to pay Mr Duncan compensation.
Mr Duncan said: “I have been trying to claim against the council for damages to my property but they deny responsibility as they say it belongs to the contractors, Bancon Construction.
“I got in touch with the contractors and they say it has nothing to do with them.
“It’s a total loss.”
Aberdeen City Council did not comment on the compensation claim when contacted by the Press & Journal.
A spokesman said: “The tenant was moved from this secure address due to flooding and other damage to the property.
“We initially found temporary accommodation for him before securing a permanent move.
“The correct process was followed to ensure he was rehoused.”
Bancon Construction said it didn’t know anything about the matter.