Burnley residents facing huge costs to remove botched government-funded insulation say the latest Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme must be better regulated

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
Burnley residents living with mould and damp say current regulation did not protect them from the devastating consequences of government-sponsored insulation failing in their homes.

Some 25 people came together last night for a meeting at Burnley Wood Community Centre. They revealed to the Burnley, Padiham, and Brierfield MP how "cowboy" traders installed shoddy insulation in their homes using money from a government green scheme, leading to mould, damp and other damage.

They now face crushing fees - some surpassing £100,000 - to remove the botched insulation. Many say they cannot ask the installer to fix the problem as the firm has closed down, and the warranty for the product only offers a fraction of the extraction cost. With no access to redress, the victims turned to legal firms like SSB Law and Pure Legal to seek compensation but were left with debt or charges on their property after those companies went bust.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Andy McKnight, a member of the SSB Law Victims Support Group who chaired the meeting, said that "the subject is layered with unprofessionalism" and "a lack of control at every single level.

(l-r) Sharon Lord, MP Oliver Ryan and Andy McKnight. Photo: Kelvin Lister-Stuttard(l-r) Sharon Lord, MP Oliver Ryan and Andy McKnight. Photo: Kelvin Lister-Stuttard
(l-r) Sharon Lord, MP Oliver Ryan and Andy McKnight. Photo: Kelvin Lister-Stuttard

"The companies were using pots of money made available by the Government, and they've just run around like [it’s] the Wild West installing wherever they wanted."

Read More
Watch on Shots!: We follow the victims of the cavity wall insulation scandal as ...

"Lack of government control"

Andy raised concerns over how sufficiently installers were policed during quality control and certification processes, claiming there was a "lack of government control" over the scheme.

Victims of the cavity wall insulation scandal at the meeting with MP Oliver Ryan. Photo: Kelvin Lister-StuttardVictims of the cavity wall insulation scandal at the meeting with MP Oliver Ryan. Photo: Kelvin Lister-Stuttard
Victims of the cavity wall insulation scandal at the meeting with MP Oliver Ryan. Photo: Kelvin Lister-Stuttard

"How were works able to be certified? How can you generate a certificate and issue it against completed work when the work's not correct?"

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He added that the 25-year guaranties "only cover a pretty paltry amount... which is absolutely mind-blowing because it doesn't solve anything.

"What has to be asked of the Government is: how have lackadaisical warranties like that been allowed to be attached to a government-backed scheme?”

He believes the Government at either the national or local level should have vetted the insulation contracts to identify insufficient guarantees before they were issued.

Burnley, Padiham and Brierfield MP Oliver Ryan meets with victims of the cavity wall insulation scandal. Photo: Kelvin Lister-StuttardBurnley, Padiham and Brierfield MP Oliver Ryan meets with victims of the cavity wall insulation scandal. Photo: Kelvin Lister-Stuttard
Burnley, Padiham and Brierfield MP Oliver Ryan meets with victims of the cavity wall insulation scandal. Photo: Kelvin Lister-Stuttard

"People need to be made accountable for what they've done. Companies need to be vetted. There has to be things, moving forward, to stop this happening again because [the Government is] going for a greener housing system, so there needs to be quality control.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"No one is facing consequences, and no one is being asked any questions. The victims are paying the price on multiple fronts.”

"It's hard to cope with everything"

Burnley mum Roze Khan says her family faces not only the financial cost of the scandal but also the health implications of living in a cold, wet home, having developed asthma for the first time after having cavity wall insulation installed.

She adds that her son also ended up in hospital with an eczema flare-up

"All of this has caused so much distress. It's hard to cope with everything."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"There are questions to ask”

Oliver Ryan, Labour MP for Burnley, Padiham, and Brierfield said he would consult the relevant government departments about what regulation currently applies to both the insulation industry and green scheme to help identify possible gaps or weaknesses.

MP Ryan called the issue "huge" and "UK-wide," adding that "it's completely appalling" that people live in homes "wrecked by shoddy insulation [installed] by cowboy builders and cowboy operators. It's not right. It's an unjust situation, and the group here is doing the best it can - people power - to try and get some kind of justice, and I have come to offer them my help and hopefully bring some solutions.

"Ultimately, we want more homes insulated. It's a good thing to attract funding to do some of that. Burnley, especially, has some of the most under-insulated homes in the country. Too many people live in damp and mouldy accommodation."

But, he added, "I need to make sure that when this work is done, it's not by cowboys who are going to do poor insulation that is going to leave people like this and families like this in situations that they can't live with for any lengthy period of time. There are people here with breathing problems [and] mental health problems on account of failed insulation that's gone into their houses.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“[It] should worry everybody”

The Government continues to roll out the green grants for home energy efficiency upgrades like insulation. This month, private homeowners and tenants can apply for £30,000 worth of measures through the Warm Homes: Local Grant, also known as the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme.

With Ofgem revealing that insulation had a 10% technical failure rate in 2015, victims expressed fear that numerous other people might find themselves in the same boat.

MP Ryan said: "People still get stuff through their doors now that says 'we'll do it for you, it's all kosher, and there's nothing else you need to do.'

"There are questions to ask about the level to which the Government has tested what existing quality controls exist and whether they're adequate if there's a 10% failure rate.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"Hopefully, by going down to Parliament and asking those questions, we can bring about some change.”

And, he added: "If I were to get an offer of insulation on my property, I wouldn't take it, in case it failed, because you're just not covered. And that, I think, is a problem for all of us because we all want to see more homes insulated across the country.

"We've got to make sure it's of decent quality because if 10% of home insulations are failing, that could end up being a million people or more in the years to come, and that should worry everybody."

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

News you can trust since 1877
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice