A Gulf War veteran is locked in a stand-off with an insurance company that is allegedly refusing to pay out after the roof blew off his home in high winds.
Steve Clews - who suffers from Gulf War syndrome and has had a stroke - returned home from a medical appointment last Friday to discover rubble strewn over his front garden in Sneyd Green, Stoke-on-Trent.
Firefighters placed a cordon around his 'dangerous' property, but Steve has since been told that he's not eligible for a payout as it 'wasn't windy enough,' reports StokeonTrentLive.
The 53-year-old - who lives with his wife Sabina, 43, and 18-year-old step-son Connor - had previously alerted his insurers to potential problems with his roof with tiles becoming dislodged.
He initially contacted the insurance firm to report the issues several days previously.
Steve said: “We phoned the emergency insurance number and they advised us to call the fire brigade - they came out very quickly.
"The pavement was cordoned off because it’s a bus route, children walk past and there’s a school opposite.
“On Wednesday morning we had another assessor come and he said ‘oh my God, this is really bad and dangerous’.
"We talked to our insurers and they said they looked on Google and the wind was 21mph and they don’t cover for insurance unless it’s 60mph.
“It was actually 46mph. They said they are not going to do anything so we are stuck with it now.
"There’s a possibility that if they took action last week this wouldn’t have happened.
"The wind got up from where the ridge tiles were missing and sniffed it up from underneath.”
Steve - who is on disability benefits - has now been quoted £9,000 for a new roof which is needed to make the property safe.
He has temporarily put in tarpaulin in his loft as water has been seeping through the huge holes.
Steve added: “The roof has been left in a dangerous position and the insurance company is saying they are not going to pay out.
"To say I am really annoyed is an understatement. We feel let down.
“The assessor who came out this morning said this is a top priority and it needs fixing.
"I want them to pay out for the repairs and make the roof safe. It’s dangerous to us and to the public. We simply don’t have the money.
“We pay insurance so that we could have these repairs. They are happy to take your money but they completely let us down and don’t want to know.”
The insurance company has been contacted for comment by StokeonTrentLive.
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