A HOMEOWNER has described the actions of a developer as negligent after a ton of concrete render collapsed from a garage wall into a child’s play area.

Barratt Homes has apologized to the Looe family and has blamed the falling render on “a door being slammed”.

Danny Keating says that he and his two-year-old daughter were playing on the decking in their garden in the same spot just a few hours before the render smashed down, ruining some outdoor furniture and toys.

“My first thought was how lucky we were,” he said.

“That’s where we keep my toddler’s Wendy house and her slide.

“I’d estimate it was around a ton of concrete render mix. That might have finished me off, let alone my daughter.”

What made it much worse, says Danny, is that he had repeatedly warned developer Barratt Homes that there were visible cracks in the render.

Danny, 26, and his partner, had moved into their home on Kimlers Way, Looe in 2018.

Both he and a neighbour had requested that their single block garages be rendered, because they were leaking, and Barratt had sent a contractor to do the work on the neighbour’s garage, work which Danny says he believes was carried out in the pouring rain.

“We noticed cracks in the render while we were building some decking in July of last year,” he said.

“Since then we’ve had x number of people come and look at it and say it needs sorting.

“They were actually due to come and take the old render off and re-render it the week before the incident happened, but they put it off, either due to lack of materials or the weather.

“Then just after that contractors told us that if it had been going to fall, it would have done so already by now.”

Barratt Homes did send people to clear up the mess the following morning, says Danny – but there was no follow up call or email, and the family has still not been given a date for the re-rendering to be completed.

The company has since offered a £70 voucher for a day out as a goodwill gesture, and £30 in compensation, which Danny feels will go nowhere near covering the outdoor table and chairs and parasol, child’s table and chair set, and toddler’s slide which were damaged.

“I feel it was negligence,” he said.

“It was a massive health and safety issue. And I feel that we have been looked over on our requests for work that needed doing because we are young – or perhaps we just didn’t hassle them with emails enough times.”

In a statement to The Cornish Times, Rachael Hales, head of customer care for Barratt Homes, Cornwall, said: “We are very sorry about this incident and had the site cleared immediately and fully inspected to ensure it is safe.

“We are in touch with the residents concerned about carrying out the repairs as quickly as possible and to reimburse them for the garden items.”

The company explained that the render issue had occurred as a result of a fault with the door from the garage into the garden, which was causing it to jam and therefore needing to be slammed to get it to shut, which had weakened the render.