Raw Deal helps to put heat on home company over gas fire issue

Barry Stokoe is relieved that an ongoing issue at his new house has finally been sorted.

Barry, from Dumfries, bought a new-build property from Carlisle-based Story Homes in 2018.

“Within a year of moving in I received a letter from the company advising me to keep my gas fire switched off as there was a possibility that it may be dangerous to use and, at some point, an engineer would visit to determine if my fire was at risk,” Barry said.

“A few months later, an engineer arrived and condemned it.

“A few months after that, another engineer arrived and carried out an inspection of the fireplace but left after telling me a team from another firm would have to spend a full day repairing it.”

In January this year, more workmen turned up to fix the issue but when they had gone, Barry noticed a large hole on the outside wall where the men had been drilling.

“The damage and poor workmanship were obvious,” Barry said.

“But I could get nowhere with Story Homes while trying to get this new problem sorted.”

Barry contacted Raw Deal and we asked Story Homes to investigate.

Good news is that the firm has agreed to send another team out to Barry’s house to finish the job.

A spokesperson for Story Homes said: “We have now spoken to the customer a number of times, keeping him well informed of the next steps.

“I can confirm that one of our bricklayers, alongside an engineer, will be visiting the customer to complete the works.”

Barry said he was grateful to Raw Deal for intervening and helping to resolve the issue.