A FED-UP homeowner has been forced to live in a caravan for more than a year after flooding rendered her Grade II-listed apartment “uninhabitable”.

Karen Fox, 56, has lived at Hull House Mews, on Waterside Lane, since 2014, but says she was driven out of her home last year after the nearby Distillery Pond flooded.

Water again rushed through the apartment last week, after a night of heavy rain and storms, adding to the damage already caused.

Miss Fox blamed the reoccurring problem on a culvert pipe which services the pond and runs underneath Hull House.

“It has been broken and blocked since last May and it could not handle the increased pressure,” she said.

“My home is now completely uninhabitable.

“Much of it is ruined and it stinks of mould.

“When it all happened with the flooding last year, I rented a caravan as a short-term solution.

“I have been living in it for 14 months now.”

She added: “It is OK in the summer months but in the winter it was quite difficult.

“It is like living in a tin can.”

Miss Fox says neighbours are in agreement that work must be done to stop water spilling into their homes in the future.

They say water from the pond was diverted to the troublesome culvert pipe, which was built in the Victorian era and is partially blocked with concrete.

The pond is managed by PMS Leasehold Management, based at Newcomen Way, Colchester.

“It really is a lovely place, or at least it was a lovely place once,” said Miss Fox.

“We had carried out a refurbishment of the whole apartment at the end of March last year - so everything was new when it was ruined by flooding.

“I bought it in 2014. The flooding issue was a complete surprise to me.

“I knew two of my neighbours had been flooded previously back in 2011, but my apartment had no problem with flooding before the water was diverted to the pipe which runs underneath.

“A contractor did some work on the pond in 2014 and they noticed they had a major problem with the pipes so diverted water to the one running under my property.

“What we would like is for a new culvert to be installed which runs alongside rather than underneath the properties.

“The council is aware of the problem and is currently working on clearing the pipes.”

FIREFIGHTERS evacuated flats and used a pump to reduce the water level of Distillery Pond after the latest round of flooding.

The overflowing pond was reported to crews at around 7pm last Wednesday and by 10.30pm nearby homes were evacuated when the water reached an electrical substation.

In May last year, residents of Hull House Mews were forced to sweep water from their homes and firefighters pumped the pond after it flooded.

Terry Sutton, a director at PMS Leasehold Management, denied the company were responsible for any water damage to the Grade II-listed building.

“The council was down there on Wednesday, just before the storm, dealing with the culvert and specifically with the blockage,” he said.

“Hull House is nothing to do with us at all.

“It is not our property and not our concern.

“Building work took place to convert it into flats which was nothing to do with us, any water damage done is the responsibility of whoever carried out those works.

“The residents have been informed of this and legal claims against us have all been defeated.

“I can see the frustration but they should look towards their solicitors and those they bought their properties from.”

He added: “The culvert in question is more than 100-years-old. It was found to have concrete inside, which was likely the fault of whoever did the building works.

“The pond is not at fault, the drainage from the pond flows properly all the time.”