A family’s £2.5million ‘dream home’ that they won in a competition has been ‘built in a valley that floods every year’, according to their new neighbours.
The Wordons won the top prize in a much-hyped draw run by company Omaze for the Prince’s Trust but may have been left ‘with a lifetime of headaches’ as they could struggle to get insurance, locals claim.
After they move into the five-bedroom house in the tiny hamlet of Radford near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, the family will count former Prime Minister David Cameron, Jeremy Clarkson and David and Victoria Beckham as near neighbours.
But they may have more to worry about than schmoozing with celebrities.
Julia Boardman, who has lived in the secluded hamlet since 1968, claims the house was only given planning permission five years ago ‘because of a loophole.’
She cautioned the new owners that the positioning of the property could lead to disaster.
‘This valley has been flooding for hundreds of years, it is just the natural way of things’ she said.
‘Before there was a just a cottage at the side of the plot which never flooded and the water was able to flood down and drain slowly away in the stream. Then they built this horrendous house.’
The mansion, known as Willowbrook House, sits between two historic listed properties and comes with 2.5 acres of land.
Ms Boardman said the house has already flooded repeatedly since it was constructed.
She said: ‘It flooded on October 4 and December 23 last year, which was before Omaze knew about the property and the water went straight in through the back door and out of the front door. All the water flows down the valley and settles in the bottom.
‘The water got so high – it was nearly halfway up the gate post – that it was going to flood the neighbour’s house. We had to make a gap in the wall opposite so the water could flow out.’
Residents claim the flooding cost the developers thousands of pounds in repairs and they’ve had to carry out work including adding a drainage ditch.
South African Darren Worden, 49, and his wife Mandy, 48, won the mansion after buying a £25 ticket for the draw.
They live in Bath with their two children and are yet to move into the house or decide what to do next.
Locals believe they may be unable to get flood insurance because the property, which was on sale for £2.5 million before Omaze stepped in, has flooded so regularly.
They will also have to apply for planning permission to change the use of the garden as it is still registered as agricultural land.
James Oakes, senior vice president international of Omaze, admitted there had been some ‘blockage’ but that it has been put right. He says the flood in December was a ‘non-event’ and the house is in ‘incredible condition’.
Harry Sheppard, from Knight Frank – which negotiated the sale of the house to Omaze on behalf of Palladian Properties (Willowbrook) Ltd – said he had been given assurances prior to the exchange of contracts on December 10 that ‘any flooding issues had been dealt with’, and that it was ‘unfortunate that after exchanging contracts there had been such heavy rain’.
However, Ms Boardman, who has hundreds of photos of past floods in the area, believes the works will not fix the problem.
‘The rain will run off the hill behind the property and still flood the house. I just hope the winners can get some money out of this house, this is not their fault.’
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