Families were forced out of their homes in September 2024 after a United Utilities equipment fault caused severe flooding
Emergency services helped residents during flooding on Bulwer Street in Seaforth(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Bootle flood victims have accused United Utilities of ‘taking the p**s’ after they were offered an ‘insulting’ compensation package. It’s the latest development in a months-long saga involving residents of Bulwer Street who were forced out of their homes after a United Utilities (UU) equipment fault contributed to severe flooding.
Emergency services were called to Bulwer Street on September 30 after water started gushing into people’s homes – with many requiring rescue boats to get out safely. It is the second major flooding incident reported on this road in the last 14 years and left dozens of residents effectively homeless as their living spaces became submerged – ruining household items such as TVs and sofas as well as personal mementos and family heirlooms.
More than four months later, residents from Bulwer Street are still living in temporary accommodation as they wait for their homes to be repaired. During this time, representatives from United Utilities and other professional organisations have met regularly with members of the community to provide updates and collate feedback.
The latest meeting took place at St Leonard’s community centre on Friday February 7 where a representative from United Utilities presented residents with a compensation offer.
Due to the extreme inconvenience of being forced out of their homes in winter and the associated mental and physical affects on Bulwer Street residents – many of them vulnerable – the issue of compensation has been a regular agenda item in these meetings.
The ECHO has covered this story extensively over recent months, including reporting the testimonies of people directly impacted by the floods. We spoke to Joan Porter who has been living in constant fear after flooding destroyed her home and said the stress has had a devastating impact on both herself and her 64-year-old husband, Tony. We spoke to a couple who have lived in Bulwer Street for 21 years who feel ‘broken’ as they’re dealing with the situation for the second time.
We told the story of Scott Stringer, 36, and his mum, Gill, 58, and how September’s floods were their second experience of being flooded out. Both said they have lost weight and are not sleeping properly because of the stress and upset of having their home destroyed – including the loss of irreplaceable family mementos.
At Friday’s meeting, a UU rep read out a pre-prepared statement detailing the particulars of the compensation package, they said: “At the last residents’ meeting, we said that we would consider a final compensation payment.
Adding: “We have considered this and for those residents who have had to move out from their homes into temporary accommodations they will receive the final claim. This is to recognise the disruption this has caused to you and your families.
“This payment has been calculated using standardised principles to ensure fairness. There will be £1000 per household…”
At this point a shocked gasp was heard in the community hall with one resident shouting, ‘are you taking the p***?!’.
The UU representative continued: “Plus £250 per resident in the home so, for example, for one person, they will receive £1250, two persons £1500 and a four person household would receive £2000.”
The response from residents in the hall was universal with many commenting about the level of UU’s offer. One person said: “£1,000 is an insult. Have you taken into consideration the impact on people’s health?” Another added: “You have to be absolutely f***ing joking, it’s disgusting, it’s a smack in the face.
“We’re not just talking about damaged stuff here, we’re talking about damaged homes, broken up families. You don’t seem to understand what you have done to this community.”
United Utilities representatives said they would take on board the feedback from residents and their response to the compensation package offered at the meeting. The ECHO/LDRS understands that United Utilities has now come back to residents with a counter offer significantly higher than £1000.
A United Utilities spokesperson said: “We recognise that residents have been through a difficult time, and our priority is to ensure all individual needs are being met including compensation claims so that they can be dealt with quickly.
“We have been discussing compensation claims with residents individually as each household has differing circumstances and we are currently working through the extent of those claims.
“We speak regularly with residents and as part of our ongoing communication we have attended three public meetings so that we can provide updates and take away any feedback as we do everything we can to get people back into their properties as quickly as possible.”