Council make flood repair on shop roof – but don’t tell owner
REPAIR work to prevent flooding was carried out on the roof of a business by the council, without telling the property owner first.
Gill Smith, who owns the property at 55 Drake Street in Rochdale, said the council carried out the work in June 2020 due to flooding at 57 - 59 Drake Street, Fashion Corner, but said she only found out the work had taken place in January 2021.
Rochdale Council carried out work to divert rainwater from the roof of Fashion Corner, a property which they own, by fixing a drainpipe to Gill’s property - which she lets to vape shop Your Candy Vape.
A spokesperson for the council said the work was an urgent health and safety issue and were unable to contact the property owner at the time.
Gill said: “They came onto my roof without me knowing, attached a drainpipe onto their wall which runs into a drain which runs through my building and didn’t tell me, and I only found out six months later. They didn’t ask permission.
“The contact details are on the shop’s website so the excuse that the shop was shut doesn’t really wash.
“What legal right do they have?
“It could happen to anybody.
“Their need is not my obligation and now my tenant can’t put anything in the cellar.”
Gill added that the work had caused the cellar at the property to flood meaning it cannot be used by her tenants.
However, she added that earlier this month the pipe had been removed and the situation had been resolved.
Mark Robinson, assistant director of economy at Rochdale Borough Council said: “Due to flooding at Fashion Corner during the Covid lockdown we carried out emergency repair work which involved the roof area at 55 Drake Street.
“As the shop was closed at the time and this was an urgent health and safety issue we were unable to contact the property owner immediately, although since then discussions have taken place.
“Further remedial work has been completed this month with agreement of the property owner, including new pipework to divert rainwater from Fashion Corner away from other properties.”
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