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Hundreds of homes across Fishwick could still be suffering from damp and mould due to a botched cavity wall insultation scheme more than a decade ago.
In the past two years 45 homes have seen repairs undertaken to ease issues the homeowners have been having.
Charity National Energy Action is undertaking the works and urging people who might have been affected by the 2013 ‘Community Energy Saving Scheme’ – known as Fishwick 247 – to get in touch.
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The charity says the work undertaken at the time was rushed and had many flaws – which left hundreds of people stuck with homes which were spawning mould and damp.
At the time homeowners were told the work, which was free of charge and government backed, would make their homes warmer and more energy efficient. This turned out to be false.
Blog Preston understands there’s two major areas, known as ‘Fishwick 247’ and ‘Fishwick 250’ which were targeted by the rogue cavity wall firm Ecogen – which has since gone bust. The estimates from NEA suggest there could be up to 800 homes affected.
Around £4million has been spent on 45 property repairs in the past two years, with the NEA saying the hefty price tag per home is due to the specialist nature of the work and also contractors having to be subsidised to undertake the work due to the risks involved and history of the previous scheme.
More properties around 60 in total have seen repairs – undertaken by a scheme which pre-dates the NEA repair work – but the charity says there’s still hundreds of homes likely seeing damp and mould issues as a result.
What National Energy Action are doing
A spokesperson for the NEA said: “The Fishwick area was included in this scheme as one of the more deprived areas of Preston. At least 400 homes in Fishwick had work carried out as part of this scheme, we suspect the number is far bigger.
“Unfortunately, there were problems because of those installations, and real concerns about the quality of some of the work. The contractor, Ecogen, went into liquidation soon after the work was completed and without the problems being remedied. All of this came to light before the changes created to protect householders, set out in the government’s Each Homes Count review, existed. Ofgem received complaints from 62 households who were offered remedial work in 2017 but there remain a lot of homes in need of repair since that work was undertaken. These homes left behind have continued to deteriorate and raised significant health and safety issues for the occupants.”
“National Energy Action (NEA) raised funding to help with the remediation of some properties left behind and decided to work with the people in Fishwick to design a project that avoids the mistakes of the past. Our presence in the community started in 2020 to engage with the householders affected by the failed insulation and to try to restore trust and hope for those affected. NEA has now completed two phases of works, with a total of 45 homes repaired so far, providing their occupants with a significantly improved quality of life. At the current time NEA is undertaking surveys across Fishwick to fully understand the scale of the remaining problem and the likely costs of putting every affected home right.”
The NEA is working with Seddon Homes and other contractors on the repair works. The video below shows the work involved – or you can watch it on YouTube.
Preston Community Hub’s Taz Ali is helping to identify properties which need support in Fishwick and assist homeowners.
Preston MP Sir Mark Hendrick has been campaigning on the issue since residents began to flood his office with complaints about the Fishwick 247 scheme – when Ecogen went bust and left people with nowhere to turn for receiving repairs.
In 2022 he officially launched the NEA’s repair scheme and has tabled Commons debates on the Fishwick 247 issue.
Sir Mark Hendrick MP said: “The faulty installation of home insulation was first brought to my attention back in 2016. After many discussions with various government departments and securing a debate in Westminster Hall on the situation in Fishwick, the NEA charity agreed to come to Preston and assess the enormity of the problem. Surveys were completed and the remedial work that has since been carried out has been to a very high standard. I am pleased with the way NEA has engaged with the local community in Fishwick and put right some of the damage previously done to people’s homes by rogue operators.
“This work has dramatically improved the lives of residents whose homes were blighted with unbearable levels of damp and mould. NEA have worked with partner organisations locally to introduce insulation products specifically designed for the homes affected in Fishwick. NEA has a great track record of helping to alleviate fuel poverty and they continue to also work in areas of Preston to improve energy efficiencies.
“I urge those residents whose homes have been affected by the faulty installation of external cladding in Fishwick, to come forward and engage with any surveys being undertaken by NEA as these will be critical to determine the full extent of the problems.”
How to get help
Anyone who thinks they may be in an affected property should contact the NEA via their dedicated Fishwick scheme. You can also WhatsApp Taz Ali on 07541100431 or email taz.ali@nea.org.uk
They will then arrange for a surveyor from the firm Aldrock to visit the property and see if it is ones which has been affected by the rogue insultation.
How you can help
Funding is not available for completing all the repairs and the NEA is fundraising to try and ensure it has a large enough pot to be able to eventually repair all the affected properties. Donations can be made via the NEA website.
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