Insurers refuse to pay up for Storm Arwen damage to Ashwicken stables
An insurance company has caused a storm after turning down a claim when an 85-year-old West Norfolk woman's stable roof was damaged by a falling tree.
The hole in Pat Wells's outbuilding in Fen Lane, Ashwicken, occurred during Storm Arwen in November.
Her son Stuart Wells, who has been a carpenter for 34 years and lives in South Wootton, estimates it will cost £10,000 to remove the tree and repair the damage. The excess on their policy is £145.
But Mr Wells says insurers Age Co are not upholding the claim since they only insure for winds more than 55 mph – and these were 53 mph.
“It’s a three-bedroom bungalow and a set of stables at the end of the garden. The tree has landed on one part of the stable,” the long-standing Age UK customer said.
“We’ve had so much rain lately that all the roots are unable to cope with the wet soil. In the last three years we’ve actually had three trees go over at the end of her garden.
“The first one landed on her workshop but luckily it’s a steel-framed one and it didn’t do too much damage: it broke glass in a window but that was about it.
“This one just happened to land in totally the wrong place. There’s a 12-foot square hole in the roof.
“There are some doors in the stables that prevented the tree going further otherwise it would have gone right through.
“My sister Cathy rang to put in a claim and they said no, you can’t claim because the wind wasn’t strong enough despite the fact that it blew the tree over. It’s ridiculous.”
He said there is “nothing in the policy” about wind strength and was at a loss to understand where the 53 mph figure came from.
“You tell me. I don’t know unless they were standing at the end of mum’s garden.
“She has lived on her own since dad died 14 years ago,” added Mr Wells.
“In my opinion they shouldn’t be allowed to get away with it. They put obstacles on everything.”
A spokeperson from Age Co said they were investigating the matter but the company could not provide any further comment before going to press.
At least three people died after Storm Arwen brought gale force winds and cold temperatures to parts of the UK on November 26.
Many thousands of people remained without electricity in northern England and Scotland, a week after the storm hit.
