Anger as man forced out of home again by flooding

2 days ago

Josh Sandifordin Birmingham

News image — Barry Froggatt said he felt let down by a lack of support from organisations

BBC Barry Froggatt in a picture. He is standing on a front drive looking at the camera. He is making a serious face. He is a bald man wearing glasses, a white polo top and a green jacket. — Barry Froggatt said he felt let down by a lack of support from organisations

A homeowner who claims he was told a previous flood at his house was a "once in a century" event says he is furious after it happened again, less than a decade later.

Barry Froggatt, from Quinton, on the outskirts of Birmingham, has seen his home flood five times since he moved into it 25 years ago, due to what officials say is poor drainage linked to his garden.

In the latest event, the 55-year-old has been unable to return to his house since November after heavy rain from Storm Claudia.

Birmingham City Council and Severn Trent Water have told Froggatt multiple times that they are working on a long-term solution but he told the BBC he felt let down by a lack of support.

"I'm just going to be stressed for the rest of my life," he said. "I'm not living a life.

"For the last 20 years, every time we've had a downpour, I think my house is wrecked."

Froggatt said he was told by Severn Trent that the flood in 2018 was a "once in a century" one, when he had to move out for more than six months.

After this latest flooding of his home, he is relying on the kindness of family members, living at their homes.

A huge flooded garden. There is a trampoline in one corner and a goalpost. We can see the edge of a window. The entire garden is a river of water. — Froggatt's entire garden has been flooded several times

When the BBC went to visit his flood-hit home with him, there were dehumidifiers all over the house attempting to dry it out, with the walls stripped back and the floors bare.

Froggatt said he faced spending the first three months of the new year continuing to live between the homes of different family members while repair work continued.

A city council spokesperson said they were exploring long-term solutions to flood-hit areas and Severn Trent insisted it was taking the situation seriously.

Barry Froggatt A flooded bathroom. We can see brown water on the floor and in the toilet seat. We can see a sink and the edge of a bath. — The flooding to his home, including to his bathroom, has left the 55-year-old having to live with family members in their homes

The former engineer is currently unemployed due to health problems, which include skin cancer and he pays £450 each month towards his mortgage with an extra £110 for insurance.

Froggatt said his housing situation had left him anxious and feeling like a failure as a parent, as he feared he would be unable to pass the property on to his children.

"I've even got one of my daughters bringing food to me each night when I'm at someone's house," he said.

Barry Froggatt in a picture. He is standing in a living room which has been stripped and has dehumidifiers. He is making a serious face. He is a bald man wearing glasses, a white polo top and a green jacket. — Froggatt said he faced spending more months out of his home while repairs were carried out

Froggatt claimed the flood risk was never mentioned when he originally bought the house.

It is something Becky Lane, chief executive of Birmingham-based Furbnow, said she was not surprised by.

Her firm works to improve homes across the country which they believe are not ready for climate change-related events like flooding and overheating.

"More extreme weather events [are] happening time and time again," she said.

"We need to make sure we're looking ahead to the future as we see more extreme events happening for homeowners."

Becky Lane in a picture. She has curly hair and is smiling at the camera. She is sat in an office. There are glass panes behind her and a computer. She is wearing a navy blue polo shirt with the name of her firm on. — Becky Lane said her firm felt many homes were unprepared for extreme weather events

The council's environment chief, councillor Majid Mahmood, said he understood the distress and disruption which flooding caused residents.

"We have previously worked in partnership with Severn Trent Water and the Environment Agency, to install a number of flood prevention measures at this property," he said.

"Unfortunately flood prevention measures cannot guarantee that a property will never flood again."

Michael Keenan, from Severn Trent, added: "This is a complex issue involving several parties and we're committed to working together to find both short-term relief and a long-term solution.

"We'll be reaching out to Mr Froggatt directly to listen to his concerns and discuss what support he needs right now."

The Environment Agency said it was a matter for the city council but urged people to keep an eye on the government's flood warnings website.

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