Latest news with #RGEvans
Telegraph
8 hours ago
- Health
- Telegraph
City executive sues plumbers after £1m house ‘made family seriously ill'
A former City executive has filed a legal claim against the plumbers who allegedly fitted faulty pipes that leaked excrement through her £1 million home, making her family seriously ill. Danielle Mensah, 45, is also suing the developers who sold her the five-bedroom home in Beckenham, Kent, a decade ago. Mrs Mensah, who has been named in the top 100 women in the City, claims a botched soil pipe from the bathroom toilet caused a build-up of waste that made her whole family unwell. The case alleges that exposure to the waste left the family with chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS) – a condition not recognised in mainstream European medicine. The family said the offending soil pipe was hidden by boxwork and a wall, but still omitted toxins and mould which over time caused symptoms including fatigue, frequent urination, headaches, blurred vision, diarrhoea and vertigo. Mrs Mensah and her husband, Daniel, have initiated a claim of more than £200,000 against plumbers RG Evans and developers Linden Home. The couple, who are parents to children aged eight and two, moved into the development of 48 detached houses in May 2015. According to their High Court claim, both started to develop strange, debilitating symptoms. Mrs Mensah, who now works as a leadership coach, is said to have started experiencing fatigue and blurred vision, while needing to get up 15 times each night to go to the loo, alongside headaches, cramping, vertigo and cognitive problems which cumulatively caused her to take time off work in 2020. She claims to still require treatment for digestive issues, tiredness, insomnia, weakness, headaches and a deficient working memory, as well as anxiety about being reinfected. Her 40-year-old husband also suffered insomnia, frequent urination and fatigue, as well as mood swings, constipation and sweating, but has seen his condition improve from treatment such as cognitive behavioural therapy. Mr Mensah first noticed staining in an en suite bathroom in 2020. A tradesman then allegedly found that the soil pipe had not been solvent-welded and was propped up by plasterboard rather than being fixed by a bracket. Readings conducted by a company called Building Forensics Report found potential contamination from black water and levels of potentially toxic bacteria were between 10 and 100 times the usual level, according to court documents. A survey using a 'Mouldscope'' revealed a 'red' high mould concentration in all rooms bar one, with none showing the green expected for a residential property, the couple claimed. The family said they were advised to sell their home, moving out in November 2020 and into temporary accommodation. The family has accused both the plumbers and developers of negligence and breach of contract or duty, and are seeking damages for their injuries and the distress and inconvenience caused. Vistry Group, Linden's parent company, has said: 'This matter is the subject of active court proceedings and, on that basis, we decline to comment.'
Daily Mail
15 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE City high flyer sues plumbers and developers for £200,000 over £1m five-bedroom home 'that made her family so ill they had to go to the toilet 15 times a night'
A former high-flying City executive has launched a legal claim against the plumbers who fitted out her new home and the developers who sold it to her, claiming the £1 million house made her and her family seriously ill. Danielle Mensah, 45, spent two decades in finance as an international senior trader, and was named as one of the top 100 women in the City. But after moving into a luxury detached five-bedroom, four-bathroom home in Beckenham, Kent, she and her family say they became ill with a cocktail of mental and physical symptoms. According to their case, they have been diagnosed with chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS) as a result of exposure to toxins in their home. While CIRS is not a formal diagnosis in mainstream medicine, the symptoms and underlying issues it causes are recognized. The couple claim their symptoms were caused by a badly-fitted soil pipe from the bathroom toilet which blocked with human waste and then leaked - but was hidden from view by box work and the wall itself. A waste pipe from a sink also leaked. Now mother-of-two Mrs Mensah, formerly Ballardie, and her husband Daniel are suing plumbers RG Evans and Linden Home for damages, valuing their claim at more than £200,000. They say they had to sell their home and move away because of their illness, and Ms Mensah says she struggled to work because of her condition, and in 2020 was forced to take time off work. She still needs treatment, and suffers from tiredness, weakness, insomnia, headaches, digestive issues, and her working memory is sub-optimal. The couple, who are parents to Maverick, eight, and two-year-old Zara, moved into the property in May 2015, an imposing home spread over three floors, part of a development of 48 detached houses, but say their home was defective. Both developed a variety of symptoms, with Mrs Mensah suffering fatigue, then exhaustion, frequent urination and needing to get up about 15 times each night to go to the loo, headaches, cramping, pains, blurred vision, diarrhoea, vertigo, and cognitive problems. She now works as a leadership coach and speaker after a twenty-year career in finance. Mr Mensah, 40, suffered from fatigue and mood swings, insomnia, frequent urination, and sweating, and his symptoms increased when he spent more time at home during lockdown, according to their High Court claim. Their child Maverick also suffered similar symptoms and is likely to sue Linden and the plumbers separately, the court will hear. Ms Mensah noticed water staining in an ensuite bedroom in 2020, and was told it was water leaking from the soil pipe from the toilet and basin. A tradesman discovered that the soil pipe came apart in his hands at a joint which hadn't been solvent-welded and was completely bunged up with human waste. The pipe had been propped up with plasterboard packing rather than being fixed with a bracket, the claim says. A company called Building Forensics Report said the soil pipe had leaked black water with human bacteroids, high particle counts indicating a possible spread of contamination, and there were potentially toxic moulds on the upper floors where there was also high specific humidity. Levels of potentially toxic bacteria were between 10 and 100 times usual readings, according to the report. A survey using a 'Mouldscope' showed high mould concentrations in rooms rated red in every room except one, which was yellow - with none showing green, the normal level to be expected in a residential property. On the advice of experts, the Mensah family moved out of the house on November 10, 2020, and into temporary accommodation and blame the housebuilders and plumbers for their injuries. They accuse both of negligence and breach of contract or duty, claiming the soil pipe and basin waste were not installed in a workmanlike and professional manner, and failed to ensure the property was fit for human habitation. Mrs Mensah says her condition, chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS), affects the immune system and leads to overproduction of cytokines. She has also suffered a psychological reaction, with anxiety about being reinfected with toxic mould. Her husband's condition has significantly improved as he underwent treatment including cognitive behavioural therapy, but his verbal memory is significantly below his expected optimal level, the court will hear. He also suffers from skin issues, aching, constipation, fatigue, and insomnia. Both are seeking damages for their injuries as well as damages for the distress and inconvenience of having to leave their home in November 2020, and for the inconvenience of having to occupy a series of temporary homes. RG Evans declined to comment but are expected to defend the claim. A spokesperson for Linden Homes' parent company Vistry Group told MailOnline: 'This matter is the subject of active court proceedings and, on that basis, we decline to comment.'
