Victims 'passed from pillar to post'

Nearly two months on Maria and her partner Martyn Waterhouse are still waiting for vital repairs to their house in California Drive, Catcliffe.

She blamed a "failure to communicate" between insurers HSBC, plumbers, plasterers and electricians - leaving her awash with misery.

Maria, a 35-year-old BT technician who is temporarily living in Bramall Lane, Sheffield, says she is now sick with worry after the stress added to the original washout. She has been off work ill for two weeks.

Today - following a call from The Star - an HSBC spokeswoman admitted the repairs were taking too long, and promised things were now back on track.

She added: "We were dealing with unprecedented levels of claims but everything is now back on track. We want to apologise and, as a goodwill gesture, will be waiving the 75 excess fee."

Maria said: "My home was flooded while myself and my partner Martyn were on holiday in Florida.

"We watched the events unfold on BBC bulletins and were devastated by the news, and returned home from our holiday early. We lost both our cars and our home in the flood.

"But ever since we have been given the merry run-around by the insurers and various other companies assigned to us.

Our home still has damp plaster on the walls and no driers in.

The company assigned to dry out the property came along and plugged fans and a de-humidifier into sockets that had been submersed in over a metre of water.

"I contacted the insurers and was told to return to the property to unplug them as it was a fire risk. It's scary."

She added: "It's now seven weeks since our home was flooded.

"We are being passed from pillar to post and no-one seems to want to help us.

"Our neighbours' homes are dry and they are ready to move on. My brother has had all the plaster removed and his driers have been in for the last four weeks.

"This whole thing is making me ill. I just want to return to my home."

The HSBC spokeswoman said: "This has now been given priority and some of our senior people are looking at it.

Everything started well and an interim payment of 7,000 was quickly made, but there was a two-week period in the middle where delays happened."