A widow has told how she returned home to find a burst pipe in the loft had wrecked her council house.
Mum-of-five Liz Cooper, 52, came home on Friday night and opened her front door only to be drenched in a cascade of water.
Shocked, Liz fled to her neighbour’s for help and ended up calling the fire brigade.
Liz, who lives in Foxroyd Drive, Mirfield, with daughter Vicky, 16, said she feared all her clothes and many of her possessions had been ruined.
Liz stayed with her mother overnight and Vicky stayed with her boyfriend’s family and it was only on Saturday that they dared to inspect the damage.
“It’s terrible,” said Liz. “I left home on Friday dinnertime and a friend dropped me back about 8.15pm.
“I could see water was coming out of an overflow pipe outside and the dining room window was frozen up.
“As soon as I opened the front door water poured down. It was like walking into a shower.
“The cat ran in and then ran out again – I’ve never seen it move as fast – and the kittens we have were climbing the curtains.”
Liz added: “I just totally freaked. It’s scary to go home and find something like that.”
Vicky turned to Facebook group Mirfield Matters for help and was inundated with offers of clothes and food for them – and their pets.
As well as the cat and two kittens they have a hamster and a scorpion. All were thought to be okay.
Firefighters arrived and found a pipe to the tank in the loft had burst. They turned off the water and also smelled gas so switched off the supply.
“The fire brigade were amazing,” said Liz. “They were very patient with me and told me to go and sit in the fire engine to get warm.
“I have a water meter and all this water was pumping out and all I could think about was how much my water bill was going to be! It’s funny the stupid things that go through your mind when something like this happens.”
Liz, who is on benefits and doesn’t have home contents insurance, was hoping to salvage what she could.
She thanked people in Mirfield for their kindness and offers of help.
Anyone who wants to get in touch should search for Vicky Cooper on Facebook or find her post on Mirfield Matters.
