Devastated family homeless for Christmas after storm destroyed their house – with water pouring through loft
Their children are having camp in the living room, despite having school to attend
A FAMILY has told how their kids have been left homeless for Christmas after a horror storm destroyed their house.
Chantelle Bourne, 31, and Daniel Tilling, 36, have been left “angry” and “scared” after water poured in through their loft and ruining irreplaceable keepsakes.
All the houses on a council estate in Weymouth were set to be re-tiled and the couple’s roof was removed.
But when workers packed up on Friday, November 22, Chantelle claims they left her roof partly exposed to the elements.
As Storm Bert hit on Saturday, rain flooded in, seeping as far as the couple’s daughters’ bedrooms.
The couple say their three daughters who are 11, eight, and six, have been left sleeping on blow up mattresses in the living room.
They also have no electricity and had to turn the boiler off on Saturday night.
Daniel, a construction worker, described his initial reaction when Chantelle phoned him about the leak: “I was angry.”
Chantelle added: “I was scared for my children’s safety.”
Daniel said the girls are “angry, upset, and scared of going upstairs.”
One of their daughters has autism and has been left traumatised.
Daniel said: “She needs routine and she needs her bedroom back.”
Their eldest daughter has managed to move back into her bedroom, but the younger two are still in the living room, despite being back at school.
Like many of us do, the couple kept sentimental items in their loft such as locks of their daughters hair, school work and drawings, birthday cards and scrap books – all destroyed.
Daniel said: “We can’t salvage any of it.”
He said: “We want something done about this. It’s not what we wanted for Christmas.”
The tradesmen promised to send a surveyor over to assess the damage but no one showed, the couple explained.
Since the event, Chantelle and the family were moved to temporary accommodation after she noticed more damage to the property.
A key safe was fitted to allow Chantelle to re-enter her home if needed, however, the mum-of-two says the code has since been changed – locking her out.
Due to the stress of events, her six-year-old has been wetting the bed, but now, Chantelle can’t go home to pick up any extra bedding.
She claims the council changed the key-safe code without any warning.
The Sun has contacted Dorset Council for comment.
