Workman plunges through roof and floods house in Grafton Terrace

Published: 21 April 2011
by TOM FOOT

A BOUQUET of flowers was delivered to a primary school caretaker after a contractor plunged through his roof, destroying a bathroom.

The three-storey council house in Grafton Terrace, Gospel Oak, was then flooded after the roof was not properly water-sealed.

And, to add insult to injury, the caretaker’s wife later opened the blinds to see a workman urinating on the first-floor scaffolding.

The caretaker, who did not wish to be named, said: “Accidents do happen, but not making the roof watertight is beyond that. There was rubble all over the place. The top floor was flooded. The bathroom tiles were smashed.”

He added: “The urination takes the biscuit.”

A Camden Council spokeswoman said contractor Apollo had made the roof watertight but it started leaking about two weeks later.

The 62-year-old caretaker, who has lived in the house for 30 years, has received a letter from Apollo senior contracts manager Stephen Barker outlining details of £1,650 damage to the house.

But the caretaker said the actual cost of the repairs did not match the compensation offered. 

“It’s a paltry offer,” he said. “They’re saying £150 to fix the bedroom. You can barely get a plumber out for that.”

In April 2009, the council’s director of housing, Philip Colligan, told tenants at a public meeting on the major works programme that mistakes were inevitable. He said: “Where contractors have cocked things up, I want operatives to apologise and to go round with a bunch of flowers.”

The council spokeswoman said: “A roofer from our contractor, Apollo, had fallen through a shallow pitched roof into the bathroom below, but was fortunately unhurt. The issue of compensation is being dealt with by Apollo and we will make sure it reflects the loss sustained.

“Following the report of a builder urinating into a bottle on the scaffold we terminated the workman’s employment immediately. 

“This is obviously highly unacceptable and we apologise for any distress caused by this and the damage to the roof.”