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27
Oct
Harrogate residents ‘insulted’ by Yorkshire Water’s £100 compensation offer
A Harrogate residents' group has been left furious after Yorkshire Water offered them £100 compensation for taking four months longer than expected to assess a problem.
Queen’s Close residents discovered standing water under a shared patio during renovation work in early June.
They thought it was due to a leak and contacted Yorkshire Water for help.
However, despite multiple visits from various Yorkshire Water teams and being told it would be fixed by June 10, the problem remained unsolved.
The standing water is still there.
Wally Wallace, a resident of Queen’s Close, told the Stray Ferret the water company finally turned up on October 15 to inspect the suspected leak — four months late.
The company then said the standing water in the trench was spring water and wasn't due to a leaking sewer pipe.
This meat it wasn't Yorkshire Water's responsibility so the company informed residents it would be taking no further action.
As compensation for the months of delays, the company offered residents a sum of £100.
For the 30 flats in Queen’s Close, this amounts to £3.33 per flat.
Mr Wallace said he had rejected the ‘insulting’ offer. He said:
I found this to be derisory, insulting and completely unfair, and of course I rejected this offer. This closed our case, and we are now left to pursue this matter further with the Consumer Council for Water.
The residents are very disappointed that it still isn’t resolved and more work needs to be done after such a long time.
Residents were unhappy that they were unable to use their patio over the summer months because of these delays.
Mr Wallace said that they will now have to find a ground drainage company to resolve the problem at a cost.
A spokesperson for Yorkshire Water said:
We have investigated the issue at Queen’s Close and found it to be a result of groundwater, and unrelated to any Yorkshire Water asset.
The process of investigation took longer than it should have, and we apologise to those at the residence for this experience - we understand how frustrating this must have been. We have offered compensation in line with our guidelines to those who have been in touch.
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