We live in an 11ft long caravan and there’s no way we can move out – we’ve lost everything…even our grandkids’ toys
A WOMAN who “lost everything” says she has been stuck in an 11ft long caravan with no way to move out.
Thousands of homes around the UK were flooded after Storm Babet battered the country for four days, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
At least seven people were reported to have died as a result of the deadly storm.
Mandy Bingham was one of those affected by Storm Babet after a brook near her home burst its banks, causing water to rise through her floor.
Mandy was forced to move out of her house in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, and into the caravan on her driveway when flooding hit.
But despite severe damage, the work to repair her property is on hold eight months later.
Mandy claims that her insurance company has still not paid a full settlement.
Speaking to ITV she said: “We had a new kitchen in 2017, that’s all gone.
“We had brand new sofa in January. Everything’s just gone. All my grandkids’ toys, everything. We’ve just lost it all, it’s been hard.”
Mandy said the traumatic situation has only damaged her and her husband’s mental health even more after the horror floods.
The grandmother added that it had been “really difficult” to come to terms with losing her home.
And she says that she was forced to take five months off work as a midwife due to the stress.
Her insurance company, Admiral, has sent loss adjusters to view the damage but Mandy claims she is still no closer to receiving the funds to rebuild her home.
She said: “Still to date we don’t know what we’re being paid.
“They have not told me anything, we have no timescales. They’ve not started anything. I’ve got a platinum policy but I’ve not had platinum dealings with them.
“It would be nice to know have we got a plan? When are they gonna start? Have we got an ideal date for when we might be moving back in?
“It [would be] a goal to work to…but we just know nothing.”
Admiral apologised for the delay.
In a statement, a spokesperson said: “We are sorry for the time it’s taking to settle Ms Bingham’s claim and are endeavouring to resolve this as quickly as possible.
“Claims relating to water damage can take a long time to rectify and this is a particularly complex claim.”
Admiral said it had paid for a caravan and an emergency payment was provided to cover immediate bills.
It said it had appointed a loss adjustor but Mrs Bingham’s own loss assessor had “raised queries” about the scope of work.
“We appreciate that this has resulted in a delay in getting the claim finalised and apologise that they couldn’t be agreed sooner,” the company said.
