A couple’s dream of a perfect newbuild home has turned into a “swamp” nightmare, complete with severe drainage problems that have left them feeling trapped. Paddy Harper, 30, and his partner were ecstatic to move into their £300,000 property in the Bellway Summerville Gardens estate in Midlothian, Scotland, after initial delays in August 2022.
However, their joy was short-lived as their first winter brought flooding in their garden, with water cascading down from a nearby farmer’s land. Paddy, who works as a crime scene examiner, recounted the disastrous conditions they faced when rainwater began to accumulate.
He claimed their garden turned into a quagmire. Despite repeated pleas to the developer, Bellway, for a resolution, the couple say their calls have not been answered.
Paddy said: “When we first moved in there were always patchy bits and mud and it seemed to get wetter and wetter whenever it rained. The build up was constant and we raised the issue but they just blamed us.
“None of the gardens on our street look particularly great but it seems as though our garden and our neighbour’s garden are particularly impacted by flooding. Bellway sent out someone to assess the damage but the contractor claimed that the issue was caused by us not raking our leaves.”
“When we try to rake the leaves we end up taking up the grass due to how wet it is. In October/November 2022 we had a full on flood through our garden and next door’s. Water was flowing down like a river from the back fields and past our house. Basically they haven’t taken good enough measures to deal with the drainage at the back of the estate.”, reports the Mirror.
“The gardens haven’t been properly rotivated but more worrying than that, extreme amounts of water build up on the other side of our back fence. This then spreads to our garden which basically has rendered it unusable since we moved in.
“They have promised works to fix the issue but have repeatedly made excuses for it not being done. They seem to have just moved onto other sites where they can make more money and have left us to suffer in a swamp.”
Paddy said some work has been done to try and mitigate the flooding, but it hasn’t worked. He said workers dug two trenches to instal drainage, which is yet to be done. So these now fill with water whenever it rains.
“Bellway has been absolutely shocking,” he claimed. “They’ve made so many excuses, even blaming the poor weather for not being able to come out to fix the issue, but the poor weather doesn’t seem to stop them from building more houses and cashing in. We have paid over £300,000 for a swamp. It feels like they have just taken our money and now washed their hands of us.”
According to Edinburgh Live, an engineer identified a serious flooding risk coming from higher ground behind the house.
Selling isn5’t an option for Paddy, thanks to surging mortgage rates and unresolved drainage problems that make the property hard to put onto the market.
“The experience should have been filled with excitement but the shine has been completely removed,” he added. “We cannot get out and enjoy our garden, in the height of summer if you try to put a chair down it just sinks into the ground.
“We can’t let our pets out there either as everything just gets churned up. We feel like we are trapped in our own home as it is a swamp back there. We have not been able to have a housewarming party as no one can go into the back garden.
“Whenever we have tried to ask for help the attitude from Bellway has been shocking. We paid them for this house and they treat us like a nuisance if we raise an issue.”
A spokesperson for Bellway expressed their apologies for the distress caused and assured that they will rectify the situation promptly. A spokesman said: “The UK has been facing extremely high rainfall this winter and spring.
“The flooding has occurred due to the property backing on to fields, where excess rainfall is running off the fields into the garden of the property. A drainage ditch has been dug to stop this happening.
“It was always our intention to tie this ditch into a positive drainage system to avoid it filling up and having the potential to overspill down the hill. Unfortunately, however due to excessive wet weather we have been unable to complete these works over the last few months.
“It is our intention to complete this as soon as we get a break in the weather and conditions dry up suitably for us to do so. We apologise for any inconvenience caused to the homeowner but this will be resolved as soon as possible.”
