Court threat of flood-hit woman

3:00pm Thursday 6th September 2012 in News

A WOMAN flooded out of her home by sewage water has slammed Thurrock Council and said: “I’m taking you to court.”

Julia Donohue, 23, reacted angrily to a story in the Gazette recently which told of a family from South Ockendon who were moved into an emergency home when their house flooded.

Julia, who came home from a shopping trip on January 17 to find sewage water leaking into her property, claims the council failed to act in such a way for her and her two-year-old son.

The water was coming out of her toilet after residents in George Tilbury House, in Chadwell St Mary, blocked the waste pipe by flushing away nappies.

Julia claims it took nearly 30 hours for someone to come out and stop the leak, while in the meantime water poured into her home.

She said in this time, hundreds of pounds worth of furniture was damaged. She was forced to move out and live with her mum.

She told the Gazette: “The smell was disgusting, like being in a sewer. Where it took them so long to come out, so many of my belongings got damaged.

“After they had stopped the leak, it’s in the tenancy agreement they have to make the property liveable.

“I want them to replace the things I lost, beds, carpets, furniture. They just left it there and now it’s ruined, so I can’t move back in.”

The council offered to send a cheque of £240, known as a “decoration allowance”. But to compound Julia’s misery, her name was spelt wrong on the cheque, so she couldn’t even pay it in.

A spokesman for Thurrock Council said: “Miss Donohue moved back into her property on May 18 and her rent was waived during the entire time.

“Caretakers were used to remove contaminated items.

“Miss Donohue has already received apologies from the local office that the cheques were incorrect and another will be sent to her in due course.”

Comments(16)

fletch12107 says...
6:06pm Thu 6 Sep 12

Hang on a minute it says that the residents in the flats blocked the toilets that caused the overflow so why is the council being sued. Oh wait a minute I have just read some more this is a "Miss" with a two year old so I guess no father of the child on the scene. You had your rent waived for four months and got a cheque for £240 get over yourself love.

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missyD88 says...
8:39pm Thu 6 Sep 12

Just because she is a miss doesn't mean anything about the father being involved with the kid! I mean if you worked hard to give your kis a decent home and because the landlord made you homeless you would just forget about it! And 240 just about covers decorating! So before you start judging her make sure you know the whole story behind it!

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SaveOurStanford says...
10:07pm Thu 6 Sep 12

fletch12107 You have such an Old fashion view just because Miss might be engaged saving up to be marry ?

However it shows the selfishness of other residents to lazy to dispsose of nappys just expect to flush em away !

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mpgrays says...
10:39pm Thu 6 Sep 12

Have a baby, get a council house/flat, isnt the saying?? and still fkn moan!
How about close legs and get a job?

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missyD88 says...
7:34am Fri 7 Sep 12

That's not always the case, not every person/couple are out to get what they can! What about people who are abused, ex convicts, alcoholics and drug users! And like I said if you don't know this girl you don't know wether she works or what her circumstances are! She could actually be a decent person but on the other hand she might not be but still your judging her just because she lives in a council property! I don't get that part I must admit, why you feel you have the right to slag her off! And to be fair the council do have to make sure the property is safe and livable! Any person who rents properties does!

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Bernard 87 says...
8:23am Fri 7 Sep 12

Why are these tower blocks still standing? Most local authorities started knocking them down in the 90s. With all the housebuilding going on in Thurrock I would be more supportive of it if it were to replace tower blocks.

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fletch12107 says...
8:47am Fri 7 Sep 12

I dont know this Miss but my pre judgemental mind leads me to believe that she could be another person that has a kid that she cant afford but thinks it's better than going to work,doesn't want the father around as that may spoil the chances of getting a council flat. Having got the flat then has the nerve to sue the council because of the other rent subsidised tenants have blocked the toilets. Council money is tax payers money not a pot of gold for freeloaders.

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missyD88 says...
9:11am Fri 7 Sep 12

Well everyone is entitled to their opinion, like I said she could be that but then she might not be! I personally find it a bit unfair to judge her just on 2 paragraphs that the paper has written!

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rogwj says...
10:29am Fri 7 Sep 12

There are so many on the scrounging bandwagon to which fletch12107 refers in general terms that there would be considerable agreement with his views.
It seems in this case that many things were fundamentally wrong, not least of which was the speed (or lack of it) that the council maintenance person got to the flat to "stop the leak", in what seems to have been a fairly serious situation as far as health is concerned. It might have put things more into perspective if when putting this story together the reporter asked Ms Donohue if she had household contents insurance. If she had, she would probably have already received an insurer's payment and the insurer would be in a position to redeem some or all of its loss from the council. I guess, however, that such insurance would be low on the list of priorities, or more correctly not on the list at all.
I am also wondering if this is a story that has been hanging around for some time and has now only just been updated. Ms Donohue says "... They just left it there and now it’s ruined, so I can’t move back in", but a council spokesman said that she moved back in on May 18. Something not quite right here.

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missyD88 says...
10:36am Fri 7 Sep 12

I heard she hasn't moved back in yet but she is paying rent for the property!

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rogwj says...
10:59am Fri 7 Sep 12

Maybe this and any other aspects that the Gazette has omitted or for which it has be provided incorrect information can be rectified. Forgive me for asking missyD88, but you seem to be well informed on this matter. I am just looking at your e-name -- missy (miss) D (D) 88 (?1988). Single person miss, initial D, 88 if 1988 year of birth would make age 23 during this year. But no, you couldn't be Julia Donohue; it must be a coincidence.

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mustnt grumble says...
10:59am Fri 7 Sep 12

Where in the article does it say that this lady is unemployed? Also it is the council that have bene quoted saying this lady is a Miss. This means nothing, I have been married for 6 years, and the council still refer to my wife as a Miss, despite our marriage certificate and other details being presented many times and have even been photocopied and sent internally while we have been in their office. Some people engage mouth before brain knows all the facts.

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missyD88 says...
11:09am Fri 7 Sep 12

I do know julia, I went to school with her so that's why I know about it, I don't really speak to her but our mums talk

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mpgrays says...
1:37pm Fri 7 Sep 12

Well said rogwj, i was just thinking that, about the missyD88 name age thing! Also missyD88 seems to have spent all morning, commenting on her 'friend' from skool!

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missyD88 says...
2:42pm Fri 7 Sep 12

What so you would allow people to bad mouth your friends?! Think what you all like but personally I just don't see why people make judgment of her because her situation and if she saw this she would say a lot worse

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rogwj says...
3:37pm Fri 7 Sep 12

With difficulty, I was trying to keep my contributions to this discussion to the important point of the leak and the sewage and the council's poor response to rectifying the problem and making restitution for the damage to Ms Donohue's property consequent upon the actions of other tenants. On the face of it, Ms Donohue seems to have been shabbily treated by the council if the Gazette report is accurate. However, missyD88's comments of very early today in which she refers to ex convicts, alcoholics and drugs users made me ask myself "Why did she say that?". Later, we learn from missyD88 that "I do know Julia ... I don't really speak to her...", and most recently "... so you would allow people to to bad mouth your friends?"
That last comment infers that she and Julia Donohue are indeed friends.

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