'Flood repair workers set my house on fire'

A mum has said her family is traumatised after her house was set on fire by workmen sent to make her property "safe".

Following six months of damaging water leaks, Lauren Keegan, 29, said One Vision Housing (OVH) had not only failed to resolve the problems at her home on Anderson Way, Litherland in Sefton but it had made them worse.

The fire was caused when work was carried out on the external wooden cladding.

OVH told Local Democracy Reporting Service: "We can confirm that all identified repairs at this property have been completed to the required safety standards. We continue to engage directly with the customer to address any further queries they may have."

Ms Keegan, 29, moved into the property approximately six years ago and was "delighted to get her first house, especially so close to her family and friends", but her life soured when water started leaking into the house.

She added that after several requests for repairs to OVH, the leaks were getting worse and no solution seemed forthcoming.

Ms Keegan said OVH first told her the water coming through the front bedroom was condensation because of her and her sons breathing, and the back and forth went on until 20 September.

"It was like a waterfall, floods of water was coming through. My walls and ceiling were soaked and dripping with water, just massive, uncontainable floods.

"This was at five o'clock in the morning, and when I woke up, it was gushing so badly that I thought someone was running a bath."

She added that the biggest clue at to what the problem could be is when it rains.

"All of the other houses are brick, but mine had a wooden cladding at the front and apparently, it was holding water. That's why it was coming into my bedroom."

She said eventually OVH sent workers to "make it safe" on 24 September who left shortly afterwards without telling her.

Ms Keegan added: "The next minute the living room is filling up with smoke and I've gone straight into panic mode, scared a candle had fallen over or something.

"So the smoke is everywhere and I run outside and see the house on fire. We've run inside to get water and just started throwing water over it to put it out. I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest."

In response to Ms Keegan's formal complaint, OVH said it had examined the issues and stated in a letter: "We regret to inform you that one of our operatives did not follow the correct procedure and failed to remain on site for the appropriate duration. This oversight unfortunately resulted in a fire at your property."

OVH also said it had visited the property and created a plan for several repair jobs to address the fire damage and the ongoing leaks, and the classing had since been removed as well as the front of the house being rendered.

Ms Keegan added that the outbreak of the fire had caused understandable distress to both her and her eight-year-old son, and they were both uncomfortable and uneasy about staying at the address.

Lauren said: "Everytime a new work man comes, my son says 'please don't set our house on fire again', so it's obviously playing on his mind."

Ms Keegan said she wants to leave the property as the water leaks continue, adding: "You'd expect that a landlord who set fire to your house would do everything possible to make things right, and with the utmost care, but that hasn't happened."

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