'THEY'VE WRECKED IT'
Mum returns home to find garden destroyed without warning by workmen who leave it dug up for MONTHS
Karine Walker, 36, was left livid after claiming her back garden was 'wrecked' without her consent
A MUM returned home to find her garden destroyed without warning by workmen who left it dug up for MONTHS.
Karine Walker has blasted contractors for turning her garden into a "dumping ground" after ripping up her decking and drilling holes in the grass.
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The mum of three from Hull says she was visited by contractors one morning in March after the city council was called to investigate a plumbing problem.
But after getting back from a hospital appointment she was confronted with a sprawling tip in her garden - that still hasn't gone away.
'THEY WRECKED IT'
She says a contractor's scrawled note warning them to stay out of the back garden was the only notice she was given about the works.
“It looks like a dumping ground and I didn’t realise they would cause this much damage," said Karine.
"They have wrecked my garden, they have literally wrecked it.”
Hull City Council has since said Yorkshire Water is investigating after tree roots penetrated a drainage pipe at the property, potentially causing a blockage.
It looks like a dumping ground and I didn’t realise they would cause this much damage. They have wrecked my garden, they have literally wrecked it
Karine Walker, 36
But Karine claims there's an ongoing dispute between the two authorities and is demanding compensation.
“Yorkshire Water said the drainage company should not have touched any of the pipes because it was Yorkshire Water’s pipes so now there is a dispute between them and the council," Karine said.
“For months we’ve just been left with this big mess in the garden and no one is telling us anything.”
Karine has rented her home in Corran Garth, West Hull, off Hull City Council for the past seven years.
'THE CHILDREN CAN'T PLAY'
With summer fast approaching she now fears her two youngest children, aged six and seven, will be stuck indoors and unable to play out because of the orange traffic cones and yellow barriers filling her garden.
She said: “The kids are constantly wanting to play out and they can’t. The front garden is essentially a car park which elderly residents use so they can’t play football and we are having to go elsewhere for kids to play.
The kids are constantly wanting to play out and they can’t. We're having to elsewhere for the kids to play
Karine Walker
“I put money into getting that decking down but now I can’t do anything with it because it’s an absolute mess.
“They’ve taken out some of my hedge and I don’t know how I’m going to fix that. Everything they’ve cut off they’ve just dumped at the back of my garden.”
A spokeswoman for Hull City Council said: "I’m sorry that Ms Walker’s drainage problems have still not been resolved. As soon as she got in touch with us about the drains in March we arranged an inspection.
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"Our operatives found that there was a serious problem with tree roots having penetrated the drainage pipe which was causing the blockage.
"The drainage pipe is the property of Yorkshire Water and therefore we were obliged to contact them to carry out the necessary remedial work. Yorkshire Water have advised the council they are aware of this matter and work is ongoing."
A spokesman for the utility company said: “We are currently investigating the excavation carried out by the council and assessing whether there is any damage to the sewer. If damage to the sewer is confirmed following further investigations we will carry out the repair as quickly as possible.”
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