Residents step up flood battle

Residents in Cleland have escalated their efforts to secure an outcome in a long-running dispute with North Lanarkshire Council.

Neighbours Sam Pratt and John McCrossan of 12 and 14 Mennock Street, Cleland, have been complaining about a running water leak in their gardens for more than 10 years.

Despite efforts by the council to address the problem, the leak, which regularly leads to flooding, is still ongoing.

Now the residents have received a damp assessment rating of “44+” which is the highest possible reading a damp test can give.

The damp has spread from the brickwork on the wall to the foundations underneath the properties but has so far not affected the indoor area.

Mr Pratt, who lives with his wife and three daughters aged 20, 16 and nine, in their council-owned house, said: “My daughters have never had a back garden to play in.

“There’s nothing we can do, we cannot even hang washing out, there’s no point.

“I personally wouldn’t let my dogs out in the garden.

“We’ve lived here for roughly 14 years and the situation has been ongoing for most of that.

“My house is council-owned and I have always maintained that if you own a property you are morally obligated to make it fit for use.

“My wife and I have spent a considerable amount of money trying to maintain this property when the outside just does not reflect that.

“If you even go out to the bin there is a constant reminder of the problem.

“Any major rainfall makes the matter worse.”

Recently, the Wishaw Press reported that Mr Pratt and his neighbour John McCrossan were meeting with North Lanarakshire Council to carry out a new assessment of the area.

The council said that since the incident was first brought to their attention in 2012, multiple investigations and improvements have been made.

However, following this new assessment of damp, carried out by JWC Multi Trades, Mr Pratt said: “It’s just about getting things done properly. The shear and utter contempt we are held in by the council is ridiculous.

“They do not like being taken to task. They just don’t see it as their fault.”

Mr McCrossan has pursued an insurance claim for £30,000 which he argues will cover the cost of getting the outhouse knocked down, getting the garden redone and addressing the damp in the brickwork.

He said: “I will be taking legal action without a shadow of a doubt because I have been messed about since day one.”

A workman from JWC Multitrades, who carried out the damp inspection at the request of the tenants, explained that, while these kind of damp readings can be common in Scotland due to the amount of rainfall, the drainage system in the street was not sufficient to deal with the issue.

He said: “The drain is only about 10 to 15 feet at the moment and needs to be much deeper. If the council tackle this it will hopefully solve the issue.

“It is difficult to determine for sure where the damp can be coming from as these houses are old and there could be a number of reasons.”

A spokesperson for the council said no concern of dampness was made during the previous inspection of the property.

A spokesperson for Nor th Lanarkshire Council said: “An inspection of Mr McCrossan’s property was carried out following the recent period of heavy rain.

“During this inspection we noted the previously installed drainage works were operating effectively.

“No sign of dampness within the property was identified or raised as a concern by the home owner. The matter is now being investigated by the council’s risk and insurance section.”