A very concerned local resident today got in touch due to a water leak originating from his neighbours property.
The water appeared to be flowing from somewhere within the house, and had managed to find its way outside causing a large pool that had in some areas frozen due to the cold weather.
Ordinarily this could have been sorted out between themselves, but sadly the neighbour had passed away towards the end of last year and so the house where the leak came from was currently empty.
With no way to contact the next of kin, this resident was deeply worried that the water could cause significant safety issues within the building. There was no way to know how severe or how much damage might have been done. Might the water have got into the electricity system? Might the flooring or structure of the house have been compromised?
After speaking to the police who directed him to the Council, this resident found that there was no way to speak to anyone who could help.
He called me up, and after a few details were ascertained I contacted senior officers at the Council and the Empty Properties Team to see if they might be able to offer assistance.
Thankfully a few hours later another neighbour was able to locate the next of kin (it involved contacting their phone company and deducing which historic number might be them) and they sought to have the premises secured.
Whilst this story was ultimately resolved by neighbours talking to each other, please do not hesitate to get in touch with your local councillors if there is an issue in your local area. Often councillors are brought in as a last, urgent resort but if we are introduced to the problem earlier then it may be that we can help - even on Valentine's Day!
Photo by Anandan Anandan on Unsplash
