House 'devastated' as crooks steal copper water pipes

A MOTHER-of-one has been flooded out of her home after thieves stole copper pipes and a water tank from an upstairs flat.

Tracey Morton said her house had been "devastated" by a deluge from the property above, with the total cost of the clean-up running into thousands of pounds.

She said her son Ryan, 16, opened the front door last week to find the ceilings bulging and torrents of water gushing down the walls – drenching electrical equipment and furniture.

He called his mother, who rushed home from work to her devastated home in Bevan Road, Dalkeith.

"It was just horrendous," she said. "All I could see was water coming through the ceiling and down the light fittings. The kitchen, bathroom and hall were completely drenched."

And she added: "The ceiling was just about to burst. All the floors are ruined and have to be replaced."

It is understood thieves stripped the tank and pipes from the upstairs flat after a previous tenant moved out.

It is the second theft of its kind in the space of a month and follows a case where raiders stripped a high-rise flat of copper pipes and a water tank in Sighthill, causing flood damage to many of the flats below.

While the latest theft is investigated, Ms Morton, the assistant office manager for a plumbing and drainage company in Prestonpans, is battling to have her home repaired.

"It's disgusting here. I feel as though the clothes I'm wearing are damp, I feel like I'm stinking when I'm in this house now." she said.

"I haven't been given a timetable for when (the house] will be fixed up. It's been nearly a week and I felt I had been pushed from pillar to post."

"Orchard and Shipman own the property upstairs while Melville are my landlords," said the 38-year-old. "I feel no one's taking responsibility and I'm still living in a damaged house."

Orchard & Shipman said they had been in "daily contact" Mrs Morton and were "very sympathetic" to her plight.

Company CEO John Taylor said: "Our customer care team continues to be in daily contact, providing Ms Morton with information, updates and advice and are on call for any questions. We have worked hand-in-hand with Melville Housing."

A spokesman for Melville Housing Association said they were doing "everything (we] can to help".

"We have advised Ms Morton and her insurance company that we will be happy to provide any assistance they need in claiming for damage," he said.