Southampton pre-school still closed eight weeks after flooding

Stagnant water filled Harefield Community School at the end of August, ruining new furniture and toys and causing £20,000 worth of damage.

Manager Tina Ford initially hoped the charity-run nursery would be back up and running by October half term.

But with no end in sight to the repair work, she fears opening may not be until the New Year.

Louise Kent (left) and Tina Ford inside Harefield Pre-School (Image: Newsquest)

"I really hope we will reopen, but it feels like there’s no sense of urgency," she said.

READ MORE: 'Devastated' nursery hit with £20k bill after building floods

The flood was caused when the boiler under the nursery’s sink broke down.

This is yet to be replaced by Southampton City Council, which owns the building.

Tina said: “We are in limbo – we don’t know where we are.

“After the flood happened, my staff went in and cleared everything and swept all the water out, while the council got rid of the mouldy furniture and equipment.

“Now the room is drying out and it’s a blank canvas for the council to do the work – but they haven’t.”

Southampton City Council has paid staff for the two months of missed work and says the extent of the repairs needed are being assessed.

Inside Harefield Pre-School (Image: Newsquest)

Tina is also yet to hear from the insurance company after submitting a claim of £24,000.

She said: “We haven’t had a penny from our insurance company. They were recommended to us; they are meant to help us mend our situation.

“It’s been stressful because I feel guilty for not being there.

“We can’t physically do anything else as we have done all that we can.

“It’s horrible to think that our children are going elsewhere and may not come back to us.

“We have had a few parents say they would come back, but many are asking when we reopen.

“We can’t lie to them. It’s really worrying.

“We have been here for 21 years, and we are a good little pre-school so it’s quite sad this has happened.

“It’s really stressful and it has caused a lot of sleepless nights.”

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Louise Kent, deputy manager of the nursery, said they are not getting any answers.

She said: “It feels that when we eventually start up again we will be starting from scratch.

“The worry is whether the children will come back as once they are settled somewhere else, they may not want to come back.

“We have got 10 staff members who have got to think of their jobs, so we at least want a rough timeframe for some answers.”

The council confirmed the incident is being dealt with – but no timeframe has been given.

A spokesperson said: "The council has been working with Harefield Pre-School to help clean and clear the pre-school, ensuring it is safe after the flood.

"The incident has been reported to and is being dealt with by the council’s insurers, who have instructed a loss adjuster to review and report on the loss in terms of the extent and scope of the required repairs to the building."