Chesterfield homeowner issues call to unite in legal action over faulty concrete

A homeowner is urging others affected by a batch of allegedly defective concrete to unite in a class legal action against a Chesterfield supplier whose product has left her with a crumbling conservatory.
Coe-Crete ChesterfieldCoe-Crete Chesterfield
Coe-Crete Chesterfield

She is just one of a number of families who have used Coe Crete’s product and have been left with building projects which are now unsafe .

The move comes after the Derbyshire Times reported Chesterfield father-of-two Phill Taylor had been left with a crumbling £70,000 extension - and several more householders came forward, saying an engineer appointed by Coe Crete’s insurer, had told them their structures must be taken down.

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The problem is claimed to have been caused by a synthetic alternative to cement, used in a batch of concrete supplied by the Chesterfield firm.

And with most house and builders’ public liability insurance not covering the cost of putting the botch-up right the last port of call has been Coe Crete’s insurer, NFU Mutual.

One of the homeowners, whose conservatory project was started last August but preferred not to be named, said: “Coe Crete’s policy is product liability insurance but does not cover concrete.

“And because it excludes anything to do with the removal of concrete they have told me they will not cover the cost of removing the structure, the foundations, or the re-build.”

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She said her builder had discovered the crumbling concrete while digging around the footings of her new £30,000 conservatory.

She added: “I paid £500 for some core testing but that wasn’t possible in the end because the concrete was crumbling in the tester’s hands.”

The homeowner, a trained solicitor, said she was keen to pursue a class action against the owner of Coe Crete, who has so far been uncontactable by customers or the Derbyshire Times. She is interested in hearing from others also considering legal action. If you have been affected email [email protected]

A spokesman from NFU Mutual, said an engineer had now inspected the vast majority of properties reported to have been affected by Coe-Crete’s product, with the remainder expected to receive a visit before the Easter weekend. He added: “We are taking care to ensure that we pay the right amount to affected claimants under Coe-Crete’s policy.

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“Anyone else who has purchased Coe-Crete’s concrete since August 2016 who believes the concrete is causing problems with their property should send their details to a dedicated email inbox, [email protected] providing their name, address, proof of purchase and a summary of the problems experienced.”