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Residents of a luxury neighborhood have clashed with a major construction company, alleging that inadequate drainage has caused their gardens to sink following each heavy rain.
Families believed they had acquired their ideal homes with wide-ranging vistas over the western fells of the Lake District, but for those who now live in properties on the Edgehill Park estate in Cumbria, that dream has turned into a nightmare.
Each time it rains, water floods their patios, sometimes reaching the house in severe situations, with property owners stating that the developer Story Homes has not delivered proper drainage systems.
A young family is so angry that they organized a highly noticeable demonstration outside the model home on the development to caution potential buyers.
Dean and Rachel Hodgson created a sign displaying their flooded patio, accompanied by the text: 'this is what our garden looks like after a little bit of rain.'
Dean secured the banner to his blue BMW and parked it in front of the estate office to alert any possible customers in advance.
Other residents living on the same property have stated to Mailonline that they have spent tens of thousands of pounds in an attempt to fix the gardens behind their high-end houses.
Story Homes, which is owned by construction tycoon and ex-Carlisle United chairman Fred Story, have dismissed the criticism, stating that Dean brought the problem upon himself by installing an Astroturf lawn.
A 30-year-old IT operations manager named Dean and a 25-year-old nurse named Rachel, who have a 14-month-old daughter named Elora, purchased their four-bedroom house for £309,000 in March.
Dean stated, "When we moved in, the garden was in a terrible condition, just a patch of mud with puddles of water lingering."
We requested an action and they mentioned they would even it out using sand.
What truly occurred was that they spread a pile of sand over the backyard fence, and we had to even it out on our own.
We have a young daughter and two dogs, so we put in an Astroturf lawn to prevent wet and muddy paws and feet from getting inside the house.
That's what stories are attributing as the cause of the issue, even though it's evident to everyone that the drainage system is inadequate.
At its worst, following a heavy rain in July, water was gathering on the patio and reached the level of the door's bottom, leaving us anxiously awaiting the moment it would begin to flood inside.
Fortunately, it didn't, but I have purchased a pump because this problem is likely to worsen during the wet winter season.
When I brought up the matter, I received an email from Story stating that the responsibility for ensuring proper drainage rests with the homeowner.
I couldn't believe my eyes. We are a young family that has spent a considerable amount of money on our house, which appears to be located on a beautiful estate at first glance.
Certainly, the home developer should be responsible for making sure the drainage system is sufficient prior to selling the properties.
We were furious, and when I found out they were hosting open days for the next stage of the project, I created a banner and placed it outside the office, attached to the car.
I simply wanted people to understand our situation before they spend a significant amount of money on one of these houses.
David Little, aged 60, and his wife Claire, 47, who own a tanning salon, have encountered comparable issues on the same housing complex.
They spent £380,000 on their spacious detached house two years back and £1,200 on lawn grass.
Claire remarked, "We had been informed there would be a minor rise in the garden, but it turned out to be a slope."
The lawn had not been installed correctly and remained in pieces, and within a few days it became evident that the grass was dead. It turned brown and appeared terrible.
Then, on the first day of heavy rain, there was a flow of water descending the slope and pooling on the patio just below the door level. We were angry and lodged a complaint, but they didn't appear to care.
David stated, "After waiting for Story to take action, we ultimately had to handle the job ourselves, and we've spent £30,000 entirely rebuilding the garden of a house that was nearly £400,000."
We needed to install sleepers to prevent the back of the garden from collapsing and construct a terrace where the slope was steep.
But even after all that effort, water still accumulates each time it rains and may take as long as 12 hours to drain. When you walk on the grass hours later, it feels like a sponge.
When it pours, water visibly rises through the tiles on the deck. It's obvious to me that the drainage system isn't sufficient for the task.
A 27-year-old mother of two, Georgia Davison, who operates beauty and cleaning businesses, purchased her house on the estate two years ago.
She stated, "We purchased during the summer when it was dry, so we didn't encounter any issues, but once the rainy season arrived, it became a nightmare."
The garden remained perpetually soaked, and the children were unable to go outside due to the damp and muddy conditions.
We needed to bring in our own contractor to address the issues since it was clear there was a drainage problem, with water pooling in place.
The terrain was too rough, so we divided it into two separate levels, which cost us £15,000.
Currently, there is still a bad odor in our bedroom, which appears to be originating from the drains. You wouldn't anticipate having to endure this sort of issue in a neighborhood where properties are priced so highly.
Story Homes informed two upset customers via letter and email that they needed to handle their own drainage systems following reports of garden flooding.
Story Homes informed Georgia Davison: "As the property is now beyond the warranty period with Story Homes, we would not be able to inspect the drains on your property ... The responsibility for the drains on your property would now fall on the homeowner to hire a drainage contractor to address the issue."
And they informed Dean Hodgson: "When selecting a garden option without turf, I can confirm it would be the homeowner's responsibility to install the necessary drainage for their preferred landscaping choices."
A representative from Story Homes stated to MailOnline: "Story Homes has conducted a detailed examination of Mr. Hodgson's property and confirms that the surface water drainage meets the original design and construction standards. The weep holes built into the boundary retaining wall are operating as planned, and there is no indication of excessive water flow."
While examining the garden, it became evident that the homeowner had added synthetic grass following the completion of the property. This grass was installed without eliminating the topsoil or adding a crushed stone base or any other suggested subsurface drainage system.
This has caused an irregular garden surface and inadequate drainage, resulting in water accumulation. Our conclusions indicate that Story Homes has fulfilled all applicable technical standards, legal requirements, and warranty conditions. We have recommended the customer to contact the National House Building Council (NHBC) resolution service.
Regarding other residents mentioned in the article, we observe that one homeowner has never expressed any issues concerning their garden, whereas with the second, we have cooperated to achieve what we consider a just and acceptable solution.
Story Homes continues to focus on delivering high levels of customer satisfaction, as shown by our HBF 5-star rating and top Trustpilot score in the industry. Every one of our homes comes with a detailed 10-year warranty, consisting of a 2-year builder warranty and an 8-year NHBC Buildmark policy for structural problems. During this time, clients who are not satisfied with our resolution process can use the NHBC's independent support service. We can confirm there are currently no active NHBC claims regarding garden-related issues at Edgehill Park.
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