Residents of a new housing development in Burnham-on-Crouch have raised fears about their new-build homes after their roofs were damaged in Storm Eunice.

Several homes on the Corinthian Place estate, built by David Wilson Homes and still under construction, had tiles fall off their roofs during the storm, which saw winds of up to 90mph cause disruption across Essex.

This includes Joel Pergande's home, which lost around 20 tiles in addition to other damage totalling around £4,000.

Mr Pergande, who moved into the home in 2020 with his wife and three-year-old son, says he contacted developer Barratt and David Wilson Homes Eastern Counties on 18 February, the day of the storm, to see if they could help with repairs using materials onsite.

"We politely asked for some help but they dismissed the idea, saying that their warranty doesn't cover storms," he said.

"The knee-jerk reaction was to slam the door in our faces."

He contacted the developer again on 21 February to highlight his safety fears after speaking to local roofers.

Mr Pergande, who works in insurance, said: "After looking at the damage, roofers said the same - they haven't been installed particularly well, with insufficient nails and they're not cemented at the edges.

"Burnham is a windy town - what happens next time? What if one of these things comes off and causes bodily injury or worse to someone?

"We shared our concerns with David Wilson and, again, had the door slammed in our face."

David Wilson says it has contacted residents to offer replacement tiles, and that residents who have not yet been contacted will be in the coming days.

But Mr Pergande says he still hasn't received an offer to help, and his safety concerns regarding the tiles remain.

He said: "A lot of people have moved to this development with young families and it's worrying."

Work began on the development in the summer of 2018, and 174 homes in total are planned for the site.

Homes on the estate can sell for more than £700,000.

David Lynch, who also moved into Corinthian Place in 2020 and lost a small number of tiles during the storm, says his concern is not the cost of repairs but safety.

The father-of-two said: "The only issue I'm concerned about is that I have kids and I want to know this isn't going to happen again because I'm not prepared to live with that - I'm not prepared to let that go.

"These are, on the surface, beautifully-made houses - but the concern is safety.

"That's what we need to understand - is it safe?"

Homeowner Luke Hanson, who has a two-year-old son and lost four tiles in the storm, added that "it's been difficult to get any response or help from David Wilson".

He said: "We have managed to get some tiles from David Wilson now.

"Until we were fighting for it, they were unwilling to help - they were unwilling to even confirm what type of roof tiles we needed."

He continued: "Even just to come out and check the roof - why couldn't they just go round and help the people that were living here?

"They have the experts onsite, they have the capability to do it, they could have done it as a gesture of goodwill, but unfortunately not."

After receiving replacement tiles from David Wilson, Mr Hanson had his roof repaired by a local company.

"I got the tiles about a week after the storm," he said.

"I was left with holes in my roof for a good week, and David Wilson was not helpful in that moment at all.

"The people we had round to quote the roof repairs all said the same thing - they could repair it today, but the issue could happen again. I think you really need to take off all the tiles and relay them again.

"I've got a little boy. It's always my biggest worry whenever he's outside if something comes off the roof - even now that's a worry for me."

A spokesperson for David Wilson Homes Eastern Counties said: "Following Storm Eunice, damage has been sustained to some roof tiles on a number of homes at Corinthian Place in Burnham-on-Crouch.

"Damage to properties caused by storms is typically covered by buildings insurance rather than a home warranty. However, Storm Eunice was a severe weather event, which carried a rare red weather warning in the South East, and caused enormous damage across Essex and the country.

"Therefore, we are assisting residents to resolve the damage caused by the storm and have agreed to provide replacement tiles to those residents whose roofs have been damaged.

"Our customer care team has been working alongside residents who have made us aware of damage caused by Storm Eunice. We have ensured that most residents have already received replacement tiles. The small number of residents who have not yet received their tiles, will do so over the coming days.

"There are no wider safety concerns at the development. The tiles came off due to an extreme weather event, which led to a rare red weather warning.

"We cannot refer residents to the original roofing contractor, as they're a commercial contractor that doesn't complete work at individual residential homes. We are, however, providing replacement tiles as a gesture of goodwill."

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