I’m a single mum-of-two and I’m terrified of living in my ‘dangerous’ home – ‘useless’ council refuse to fix it
A SINGLE mum-of-two says she is terrified of living in her home which she considers to be dangerous.
Louise Nicholson, 43, has lived in her property in Wollaton, a suburb of western Nottingham, for 12 years but claims her family has been left anxious in the last four years.
In that time, they have been forced to leave the house twice for seven months each time due to “unstoppable” floods.
The primary school teacher and her two daughters, aged 13 and seven, had to live with her parents and in temporary accommodation provided by their insurance company.
Their home flooded once in July 2020 and once in October 2023 when Storm Babet struck, with the family being put in a hotel for six weeks before moving to a block of flats temporarily.
Ms Nicholson has pointed the finger at Nottingham City Council, saying it hasn’t cleaned out the drains.
She said: “It feels like excuse after excuse. It’s not a difficult thing to sort – just clean the drains.
“I’m not exaggerating when I say my daughters, particularly my youngest, is in tears every time it rains, she is absolutely petrified. She gets petrified at school when it rains and she doesn’t know what’s happening.
“She’s really suffering and her schoolwork is suffering and we all are anxious. I try to hide it from them and protect them, but they can see that I’m concerned.”
Ms Nicholson said she was “seriously concerned” her house would flood again last week during periods of heavy rain.
As a result, she is thinking of moving, but is unsure if she could sell her house.
This has greatly impacted her mental health, having to take “a long period” of time off work and having to take antidepressants.
She said: “It’s just taken a massive blow to my mental and physical health and I’m worried about my girls and how they are coping with it all.
“It’s caused extra anxiety and home is the one place where we should feel safe, isn’t it? But we don’t. We just live in fear the whole time as soon as it [the rain] starts, because it’s not predictable.
“You can have heavy rainfall and nothing happen and then the next day you can have heavy rainfall and you get flooded and the speed the water comes in is unstoppable.”
The family received yet another blow during the floods in October when their pet rabbit, Chester, drowned.
Ms Nicholson recalled being at work, with the children being at school, on the Friday the sad incident took place. She said: “I knew the storm was on its way so I asked my parents to drive around the house to check everything was okay.
“I got a call from them at midday and I dropped everything at work and raced home but by the time I got there, the garden was 3ft under water and Chester had drowned. The whole hutch, although raised off the ground, was underwater.”
Ms Nicholson also explained that, while staying in a hotel following Storm Babet, the family struggled to get food, having no access to a kitchen or a fridge.
How to get home insurance if your home is at risk of flooding
The government’s website provides information on how to protect your home if you live in an area which is liable to flooding.
If you’re a homeowner, you can:
- get insurance advice from the National Flood Forum or MoneyHelper
- find lower-cost home insurance through Flood Re if you’re in a flood-risk area
- find a broker that specialises in properties that are difficult to insure
If your home has been flooded and your insurer is part of Flood Re’s Build Back Better scheme, you could get up to £10,000 to protect your home from future flood damage as part of your flood damage repairs.
If your insurer is part of the scheme, ask them if you’re eligible when you make a claim.
Contact the Environment Agency if your insurer asks for evidence of your flood risk.
You’ll get a letter within 20 days. It’s free for individuals and businesses.
If you’re renting:
Ask your landlord what insurance they have as it may not cover your personal items.
If their insurance does not cover your personal items, you can get contents insurance.
Read the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ ‘How to rent’ guide for more information about flooding and insurance.
She said: “We were given breakfast by the hotel but for lunch and dinner we had to rely on food from family or buy food at the restaurant.
“Their dad was having to make our eldest packed lunches and bring them over for her every day because there was no other way of making sure that she’d get anything to eat.
The school for my younger one was really supportive and they offered to give her free school meals at the time that we were out of the house.”
The family has only recently moved back into their home following restoration works, but says the property doesn’t feel like home anymore.
Ms Nicholson said: “When it floods, there is an absolute fountain of water that comes up.
“The solution is as simple as clearing the drains. I’m feeling that I have to wrench my children and me out of our family home, and if I have to move, I will have to move out of the area which means I’ve got to pull my children out of school.
“Coming back home should be exciting but I just feel numb, it doesn’t feel like home. It’s horrible.”
Daniel Borst, regional waste network lead at Severn Trent, said: “We have conducted a review of our network in the local area and found everything is operating as it should and there are no issues that would cause this kind of flooding.
“We understand just how distressing any form of flooding can be and are very sorry to hear about Ms Nicholson’s experience.”
The Sun Online has approached Nottingham City Council for comment.