Maureen Foers OBE lives in Hull. Her family property comprises a large farmhouse, out buildings and 5 acres of farmland. A stray dog rescue centre is run from the out buildings where stray dogs are cared for before rehoming them.
In 2007 Hull was badly affected by flooding. Luckily Maureen wasn’t actually flooded but it was a close call. The rescue dogs were literally sorted by the length of their legs with the short dogs being housed furthest away from the advancing floods!
The insurance cover does cover some flooding, but there is always a query when trying to prove the property was NOT flooded in 2007. This was because the drains/ditches surrounding the property sent the water away to a lake and the buildings avoided being flooded.
When Maureen received an email from the UKFDA she responded to the offer of a free and independent flood survey. She wanted to know what she could do to protect the property.
The survey literally covered the majority of the 5 acres and Lance the UKFDA flood surveyor discussed potential options with her. His recommendation was to scrupulously maintain the ditches as they are a successful form of drainage and flood prevention.
Maureen said “The process was simple. Lance the inspector, thoroughly inspected our entire property – virtually 5 acres. He took a lot of trouble and then recommended something that didn’t cost us any money!”
“We received sensible advice which hasn’t cost us anything but we have the peace of mind of knowing what we must do to protect ourselves. If I move house I will certainly ask for a survey on the new property as it has been a really useful service.”
Maureen Foers February 2016
