A flooded Stockport mill turned into ‘complete crisis’ – but finally there’s hope
When heavy rain led to widespread flooding across Greater Manchester last week, residents in a converted Stockport mill were among the hardest hit.
Water poured into the car park – leaving vehicles submerged – and the ground floor at Meadow Mill, people found themselves stranded in their homes without power. Others were stuck outside in the early hours of New Year's Day.
A swift emergency response helped rescue desperate residents who set up a WhatsApp group to help each other out.
Many say they were told to pack for two days. Most did what they could to get by. Some slept on floors with family members, others booked hotels.
People shared gym codes so those with nowhere to go could shower and stay warm. The tight-knit community pulled together more than ever. It provided some light in a difficult situation.
In the aftermath of the flooding, a massive clear-up operation began to remove water from around the mill.
Residents say they were updated on January 2 by CERT – the company managing the building on behalf of the freeholder AWAL Investments.
But by the weekend of January 4, the building was still without power as people were forced to book short-term stays in hotels and Airbnbs to get by, racking up huge bills.
By January 8 some tenants running out of cash moved back into their 'freezing' cold flats, which had no power or running water.
One Meadow Mill resident, who spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service anonymously, said she could see her own breath in the apartment.
Hannah Miles and Bradley Mullen, both aged 19 and renting a flat in the mill, said they spent hundreds of pounds paying for accommodation and takeaways, not knowing when they could return to their home.
It left the couple having to apply for credit cards to get by. Others were in a similar position.
Antonia Elford and her partner say they spent more than £1,000 on hotels. The couple had to dip into their savings, which they were planning to use to buy a home of their own.
They were given a refund by their landlord. They counted themselves lucky that they had the cash to pay upfront.
David Howarth braved the cold and moved back into the building out of sheer desperation.
"It's freezing cold inside, I've just come back because I'm running out of funds to spend on a hotel," he said this week. "I've run out of options."
On January 9, Stockport council leader Mark Hunter shared an open letter about his 'serious concerns'.
He said 'delay and lack of certainty over temporary accommodation arrangements' left some residents in 'complete crisis'.
AXA UK, the firm which provides the commercial buildings insurance for the property, said it sympathised with the residents impacted and was working 'urgently' to resolve the situation.
A spokesperson added: "This is a complex claim which involves detailed investigation with multiple parties including the property's freeholder, who is the policyholder of our commercial buildings insurance policy, and their broker."
CERT, the management company in charge of the building, said it was aiming to 'have power restored to the communal landlord areas of the building by Monday' (January 13), when it can start testing of the life safety systems.
It added that it has been in daily contact with leaseholders and lettings agents since the flooding started. Stockport council has also faced criticism.
Rachel Wise, a councillor who works for a housing charity, said the authority should have done more to provide temporary housing to those made homeless by events.
The homelessness code of guidance for town halls states housing authorities should accommodate those made homeless by disasters such as flooding.
Cllr Wise also questioned why people were in the mill without power while temperatures plummeted below freezing overnight.
She said: "I understand the council does not have loads of money to be splashing around, but it has a legal and moral obligation to keep these people safe and warm.
"We're talking about people spending a month's wages on a week of accommodation, I feel like the council should be doing more. It has an obligation to inform them that if they can't afford to pay for a hotel up front, the council will accommodate them.
"Because lives are at risk given the cold and these are people who have been badly affected by nature, to me it seems like the right thing to do would be to make these offers."
Stockport council said everyone who moved back into Meadow Mill while it has no power was offered temporary accommodation.
The town hall and AXA issued a positive update on Friday (January 10), offering some hope to those impacted. They confirmed AXA would be providing support to residents in accommodation for the next week.
A spokesperson from the company said: "We are working with the multiple parties involved to provide support to residents who are in need of alternative accommodation for the next seven days."
Stockport council leader Mark Hunter said: "I'm pleased that AXA has finally stepped up and done the right thing for residents.
"This has been an incredibly difficult time for those affected and ensuring they have somewhere safe and warm to stay is welcome news ahead of residents returning to their homes safely as soon as possible."
Tenants like Antonia said the whole thing has been a nightmare from the start – but she was one of the lucky ones because she had some savings to get by.
"It's been draining, when we got evacuated we were told to pack for two days," she added.
"We didn't bring our work laptops or anything, we just packed a couple bits of clothes thinking we'd be back.
"It's not affordable for us [to keep staying in hotels], but we know some others are in a worse position."
While there is still work to do to get people back into their homes, it is hoped the worst of the situation is now over.
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