My house is SINKING and the walls are cracked after botched pipe repair – but no one will help
A MUM claims her house is SINKING and the walls are cracked after a botched pipe repair.
Reema Sodha, 45, said water firm Severn Trent tried to fix drainage problems at her home in Leicester in 2019.
But she says workmen only completed a "temporary patching job" which caused cracks in her walls to worsen in the following years.
Severn Trent has denied any liability, saying all their work "has been done to the best possible standard".
But Reema insists the cracks - which she first noticed before the repairs were done - got worse after Severn Trent worked on the problematic underground pipe.
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A loss assessor told Reema that the house is "sinking vertically and horizontally" - with the mum fearing damage will cost her £40,000.
Reema said: "After the initial works, all the cracks just got bigger and bigger to the point where the house has become freezing, you can actually feel the draft through the house
"There were cracks forming around the windows and the kitchen worktops were coming away from the walls. I would even hear noises like the house was creaking or moving."
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Reema's kitchen floor has started to tilt - and some doors around her house no longer close due to the shifting of her property.
She said the drainage issues - which had been solved for her neighbours - have not been remedied in her home.
Reema added: "I can't afford to keep the heating on but it's absolutely
freezing at home."
For two years, Reema has been in dispute with Severn Trent over funding the repairs - which she thinks will cost around £40,000.
The ordeal led to the mum being signed off work due to stress, and she has since been prescribed medication for mental health issues.
She now says she does not know "where else to turn to".
Reema said Severn Trent has denied any liability for the damage.
The firm offered her a sum of money so she could repair her garden which had been affected by initial repair works.
A spokesperson for Severn Trent said: "We understand how distressing the past two years have been for Ms Sodha, which is why we’ve remained in close contact with her and done everything within our power to help.
"Since we first went out to repair a damaged sewer pipe near to her property in 2019, we’ve been back out on a number of occasions to make sure the customer has been happy with everything we’ve done and that our network is working as it should be.
"As a result, we’re happy that the work we’ve carried out has been done to the best possible standard.
"Every effort has also been made to carry out significant improvements to her garden, which was affected by the damaged pipe.
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"The customer has been given an agreed sum to carry out the work herself, after declining our offer to carry out the work directly.
"As a gesture of goodwill, we’ve also credited her account for the inconvenience she’s experienced throughout this time.”
