A furious pensioner has accused Tesco of backtracking on paying a £20k bill to fix a crumbling wall - that he claims is putting children's lives in danger.
William Dordoy says he fears the badly damaged wall outside his home in Herne Bay, Kent, could fall and kill a local schoolchild after cracks appeared in recent storms. The 76-year-old's home insurance provider Tesco Bank initially agreed to meet the costs of the repair - which has been quoted to cost as much as £20,000.
However, the insurer later backtracked after viewing the wall and suggesting the damage wasn't down to bad weather but instead due to 'wear and tear'. Mr Dordoy says a large crack appeared in the brick boundary wall outside his home following a rough storm at the beginning of the year.
He worries that given the proximity of two nearby primary schools and a nursery, a child or parent could be seriously injured if the wall were to collapse on them. "It's so dangerous," Mr Dordoy said. "It could fall over if we get another windy day, and you can see cracks all over the place now.
"There's always mums parking around here to pick up the kids - the wall could fall in when they're walking past, and who knows what sort of damage would come then." Mr Dordoy first noticed the gaping crack in the old wall in January, following a storm.
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William's crumbling wall (KMG/SWNS)He contacted Tesco Bank and was initially told that the cost of repairs would be covered under his home insurance policy. But in a later letter at the beginning of May, the company backtracked and declined the claim - suggesting the damage to the wall had been caused by 'wear and tear' instead of bad weather.
When insurance inspectors visited Mr Dordoy's property, they pointed out weeds growing through the wall. But Mr Dordoy insists that the crack appeared long before any weeds began growing. Canterbury City Council officers have now put barriers in place next to the wall to prevent people from walking along the stretch of pavement next to the wall, though Mr Dordoy says parents on the school run often move the temporary fencing aside.
A bricklayer gave the pensioner a quote of £20,000 to have the wall mended, which he says he doesn't have the funds to fork out for. Mr Dordoy says his disappointed Tesco has gone back on its original offer to cover the cost of repairs. "I'll never go in there again, to be honest - even to shop," he fumed. "I just can't believe it... At Tesco? Really?"
Tesco Bank said in a statement: "We were sorry to hear about Mr Dordoy's experience. We've declined his claim following inspection of the wall which established the damage was not caused as a result of a storm but due to its pre-existing poor condition and gradual wear and tear.
"However, we acknowledge there were unnecessary delays and miscommunication in handling his claim and have therefore offered Mr Dordoy compensation for the inconvenience caused. We've also agreed to meet the cost of the barriers that the council have erected to offer protection from the wall."
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