RESIDENTS have raised concerns about their safety after roof tiles rained down on their estate during Storm Ciara.
Homes at Great Western Park in Didcot, which are only a few years old, were battered by 40mph gusts on Sunday.
Pictures shared with the Oxford Mail today show at least a dozen separate homes missing roof tiles, while at least two cars on the estate had windows smashed as the tiles plummeted to the ground.
Two neighbours said it only appeared to be the Taylor Wimpey homes affected, and the developer has spoken of its 'regret' after admitting it received several reports about missing tiles.
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One resident in the Boundary Park area, who asked not to be named, said: “I was out at the time and came back to see all my neighbours moving their cars as fast as possible, watching the roof tiles fall off.
“It was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.
“I’m personally aware of between 20 and 30 houses [that have lost tiles].
“It’s really dangerous.”
She said houses built by other developers on the estate did not appear to have the same issue, adding: "If we all have exactly the same problem, it can't be coincidental."
Photos showed shards of the tiles littering pathways in the affected area.
Another neighbour, who also asked not to be identified, lost about six roof tiles.
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She said: “It’s poor workmanship.
“The house opposite me has exactly the same problem on exactly the same side."
She said she heard a ‘rumbling’ when the tiles came off, adding: “It was really frightening.”
The resident added that roof tiles fell from her house in 2013, during a storm shortly after moving in.
At that time, she said, Taylor Wimpey was helpful and fixed the issue promptly.
In an email shared with the Oxford Mail, she wrote to a staff member at the time stating: "We had to have tiles replaced due to storm damage a week after we moved in, and on Christmas Eve, the emergency response team came out to assess the damage and organise repairs as soon as possible."
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However she said this time, the developer had been 'about as much use as a chocolate teapot'.
A Taylor Wimpey spokesperson said: “We have received a number of reports of tiles coming loose from roofs at our Great Western Park development during the extreme conditions caused by Storm Ciara.
“We regret that this has happened and would like to reassure customers that their safety is our priority.
“We are working with customers and the National House Building Council to assess each report case-by-case and will work to help fix things where possible.”
Taylor Wimpey’s two-year warranty does not usually cover storm damage, but home insurance policies generally will.
'Storm Ciara – roof quality and safety issues' was an item on the agenda of a Great Western Park Residents’ Association meeting on Monday evening.
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