Chesterfield midwife still living in caravan eight months after Storm Babet

A midwife who "lost everything" during Storm Babet says insurance delays mean she is still living in a caravan eight months on.

Mandy Bingham was forced to move out of her house in Chesterfield and into the caravan on her driveway when widespread flooding hit large parts of the UK last October.

A brook near her home burst its banks, causing water to rise through her floor.

Despite severe damage, the work to repair the property in Clay Cross is on hold. Mrs Bingham said her insurance company had still not paid a full settlement.

She said it had been "really difficult" to come to terms with losing her home.

Mrs Bingham's home was severely damaged by floodwater Credit: Mandy Bingham

"We had a new kitchen in 2017, that's all gone," she said. "We had brand new sofa in January. Everything's just gone. All my grandkids' toys, everything. We've just lost it all.

"It's been hard. It has not helped my husband's mental health whatsoever, mine neither."

Mrs Bingham said she had been forced to take five months off work as a midwife due to the stress.

Her insurance company, Admiral, has sent loss adjusters to view the damage but Mrs Bingham said she is still no closer to receiving the funds to rebuild her home.

She said: "Still to date we don't know what we're being paid.

"They have not told me anything, we have no timescales. They've not started anything. I've got a platinum policy but I've not had platinum dealings with them.

"It would be nice to know have we got a plan? When are they gonna start? Have we got an ideal date for when we might be moving back in?

"It [would be] a goal to work to...but we just know nothing."

Admiral apologised for the delay.

In a statement, a spokesperson said: “We are sorry for the time it’s taking to settle Ms Bingham’s claim and are endeavouring to resolve this as quickly as possible.

“Claims relating to water damage can take a long time to rectify and this is a particularly complex claim."

Admiral said it had paid for a caravan and an emergency payment was provided to cover immediate bills.

It said it had appointed a loss adjustor but Mrs Bingham's own loss assessor had "raised queries" about the scope of work.

"We appreciate that this has resulted in a delay in getting the claim finalised and apologise that they couldn’t be agreed sooner," the company said.

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