Family returns home from dream holiday to find burst pipe floods entire house

28 December 2023 , 14:56

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Rebecca Underwood and husband Mark can't wait to get back into their home (Image: Rebecca Underwood / SWNS)

A family has been forced to spend the last 15 months in rented accommodation after they returned from a dream holiday to find hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage to their home from flooding.

A pipe had burst at the Underwood's Bristol home while they were in the US and when they walked back through their door after an 18-hour journey they were met by the horrific sight of water still running down the stairs. One good thing for the family was that their sentimental possessions were spared as they were being stored in plastic storage boxes.

Rebecca and husband Mark, who works in property, then stayed up for another 24 hours while they dealt with the insurance and sorted out places for their kids to stay. The damage was catastrophic, with the house having to be "stripped back to bare breeze blocks". The family had to move out but are looking forward to moving back in in March – more than a year after the incident.

The Underwood's house had to be completely stripped back (Rebecca Underwood / SWNS)

The family of four made it home at 9am on December 28 last year after a break in the Sunshine State. But their relief quickly turned to horror when they came across the shocking scene inside. Mum Rebecca, a primary school teacher, said: "I opened the door and immediately saw water coming down the stairs. I could see every carpet was soaking and the stairs were like a waterfall.

"I was literally screaming, at the top of my lungs, my children were having to calm me and Mark down, our home had become an empty shell." Rebecca, Mark, 46, daughter Ruby, 18, and stepson Josh, 17, tried to salvage what they could. But every electrical item had to be thrown away, all light fittings had to be replaced.

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The family came home to chaos and severe damage all around their house (Rebecca Underwood / SWNS)

Every room had to be re-plastered and the ceiling in the main bathroom had collapsed entirely, Rebecca added: "The drying process was huge – water was spraying down from the ceiling." To make things worse, two months after the incident, thick mould grew all over the house because of the dampness.

However, a year on, the family are finally looking forward to moving back in and their home has been transformed, with their total costs coming to £250,000, they say – which is being paid for by their insurers. Rebecca said: "I can't tell you how relieved we were when the insurance man came round and said that they would pay out."

And the relieved mum is now urging others to make sure they are insured, adding: "Almost every person who I’ve told all know someone else who this has happened to. It’s not rare, we implore everyone to make sure you’re insured and please turn off your water! No one was hurt, but it’s still been very traumatic to lose your own home."

Paul Donald