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A couple say they “lost everything” when a burst water main deluged a storage unit containing all of their possessions.
Steve and Gill Wallis put the contents of their UK home into storage in Derbyshire when they retired to Turkey three years ago.
They are among a group of affected people now contesting the level of compensation they have been offered.
Severn Trent Water has admitted liability for the burst main but says its insurance can only cover the resale value of items.
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The burst pipe sent a 100ft (30m) plume of water into the air, much of which landed on Quick Self Storage in Ambergate on 21 February.
It was several weeks before customers such as Mr and Mrs Wallis were allowed into their own unit at the storage business on the A610 Ripley Road.
Originally from Derby, they left their home in Belper to retire to Turkey in 2021, but expect to return to the UK at some point.
Mr Wallis, 64, said: “We’d put all of our belongings in the storage unit, so we’ve lost everything. It’s not just furniture, but all the things that make a house a home.
“Plus there are items no amount of money can replace, like all of our photos from the 35 years we’ve been together. It’s devastating. We’re heartbroken.”
‘Life-changing effects’
After learning of the flood, the couple returned to the UK to inspect their storage unit to see what, if anything, could be salvaged.
They say a Quick Self Storage employee told them to be “careful” and shortly after entering, they noticed debris on the floor.
Mr Wallis said: “We collected samples and sent them for testing. It contained chrysotile – otherwise known as white asbestos.”
“We were stunned we’d been exposed to this,” added Mr Wallis.
The owner of Quick Self Storage – Marcus Singh, 44, from Nottingham – said they had been assured any debris posed a “very low risk”.
He said: “I’ve been going in there myself and the insurance company said it was fine.”
Mr Wallis added: “We have not made a decision yet as to whether we will pursue this as part of our claim.”
The couple have since been offered £6,500 compensation for their possessions – which they had valued at £17,000.
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Other customers have been offered similar totals, amounting to less than half of their original claim.
They have been told their items have been valued by checking the price of similar products on second-hand auction websites.
Gordon Thorpe, 57, from Swanwick, said he was yet to receive any compensation offer for the equipment for his car and motorbike maintenance business.
He had put them in storage during a house move.
“They are precision tools and they’re ruined. Once they have rusted they’re not accurate,” he said.
Another customer, Jenny Nelson, 33, from Derby, said: “We’ve had enough – we are at the end of our tether now. We are coming together as a group.
“The offers we have had to our claims are adding insult to injury.”
In a statement, Severn Trent Water said: “We fully appreciate how distressing the loss of items is for those who have been affected.
“The valuations are based on the current value of items of a similar age rather than their value when they were new, which is the legal basis of settlement.
“[Our insurers] will continue to work with affected parties to resolve their claims as quickly as possible.”
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