A Kent couple, who were forced to leave their £1.2m home in last autumn’s floods, are suing a firm of surveyors that they allege failed to warn them of the flooding risk to the property.
Gary Allen and Anita Murcott say that they bought Oast House in Hook Green, Lamberhurst, Kent, in April last year, on the basis of a survey prepared by Madgwick & Dottridge, which indicated that the property was generally in very good condition. The survey did not warn them of the risk of flooding from the River Teise.
In a claim issued at Londons High Court, and just made publicly available, the couple allege that after paying £1.22m for the property, they discovered that the house had been flooded twice in 1960, and had also been flooded in 1963, 1965, 1967, 1974, 1979, 1985 and 1993. It is also said that the grounds were flooded on many other occasions.
The couple claim that they had to leave their home on 12 October 2000 and stay in a hotel until 28 December. They say that although they returned to the house, they have been unable to use the ground floor during repairs, which are likely to take months to finalise.
Now Allen and Murcott are suing Vernon Place Technical Design (Tunbridge Wells) Ltd, t/a Madgwick & Dottridge, of Mount Ephraim, Royal Tunbridge Wells, for damages.
PLS News 19/12/01
