Mum’s anger at standard of Housing Executive checks on property she and daughter had just moved into this week
Grainne Donaghy (26) had just moved into the Housing Executive property in Newcastle with six-year-old Amelia after getting the keys on Monday from the previous tenant.
On Thursday evening she turned the heating on for the first time.
Ten minutes later she heard a loud bang coming from her daughter’s room.
“My partner was over helping us move and do things in the house and thank God he was there because I wouldn’t have known what to do,” she said.
“It was this big bang and was almost as if something was struck by thunder, it was so loud.
“We ran into the room and I immediately thought the house was on fire — it was thick with steam.
“The smoke alarm went off from the heat of it and my partner burnt his hand from trying to wave it out of the way so we could see what exactly had happened.
“Our upstairs neighbour even picked up the noise on their baby camera — they thought something had exploded.”
Boiling hot, mouldy water had splattered all over the child’s bed.
“The plastic or PVC pipe that burst was right above her bed. It’s devastating that all her things are ruined, but it could have been so much worse if she was actually there,” Grainne said.
“Thankfully she was staying at her granny’s that night.
“It’s not even worth thinking about what could have happened if she was there.”
Amelia’s bed was the only one at the property, as Grainne was waiting on the delivery of her own, and they were sharing it.
She added: “My dad was also down earlier that evening and was helping to bleed the radiators because they weren’t working, so it could have even been him (who may have been injured).
“It’s just not worth thinking about. It’s pure luck no one was hurt.
“It’s an absolute disgrace the way [the Housing Executive] leave these properties for people to live in.
“What if that burst pipe caused an electrical fire or caused damage to neighbouring properties?”
The water damage in Amelia’s room. Her clothes and toys were ruined
An emergency plumber called to the house said the pipes were more then 25 years old.
The shocked mum said: “So many awful possibilities could have happened on Thursday night, so it just goes to show how important these checks are, especially in older properties like this.
“It’s just devastating, and I feel so numb and helpless because this is all out of my hands now.
“The only thing I can think of is that I’m so thankful my daughter wasn’t there.”
She explained that she had moved to the property as a “mutual swap” from another home she was living at.
“I moved out of the other property because I was getting harassment from a neighbour, and so this move really was a saving grace for me and for Amelia,” she said.
“The other was an apartment and this actually was a house with a garden so she could have the space to go outside and play, which we were so excited about.
“I wanted to give her a better life and her room was the first to be done completely.
“I was so proud of myself and my family, who put a lot of work in over the past few days, but now this is a massive setback.
“We are lucky enough that we can stay at my mum’s in Annalong for a while, but we don’t know how long this will be for.
“It could take months for the house to be stripped or re-piped or whatever they need to do.
“Some people don’t have anyone to turn to and would really be homeless due to this.
“Something needs to desperately change — this can’t go on, just letting people stay in unsafe properties. People need to feel safe.”
A Housing Executive spokesperson said; “We received a report of a burst pipe in this property at 9:30 on Thursday evening (July 11).
“We immediately dispatched an engineer stop the leak, which came from the property’s heating system.
“We will continue to work with the family over the next few days to ensure they are safe in their home.”