Chilwell flooding: Health inspectors drop investigation into water pipe damage that ruined homes

Water shooting out of the damaged water pipe in Chilwell on March 7, 2023

Health and safety inspectors have dropped their investigation into pipe damage which caused ruinous flooding in a Nottingham suburb. A large Severn Trent water pipe was damaged on March 7, 2023, by builders who were converting the former Nottingham College campus on High Road, Chilwell, into student accommodation.

Eventually the building’s owner, property developer ALB, apologised over the chaos caused by the mistake – but said only its contractor HBW Construction had been on site. The damage led to a large amount of water bursting onto nearby streets and homes for hours – flooding the area with an estimated 1.2 million litres of water a minute.

Homes in Gwenbrook Avenue and off High Road were the worst affected, with residents evacuated and roads becoming akin to fast-flowing streams. Those forced to leave their properties gathered at Christ Church Chilwell on College Road, while other residents tried to create makeshift barriers out of bins, tiles, and bags of soil to stop the water from spreading.

Get the latest news straight to your phone by joining us on WhatsApp

In the months after the flooding, in which some residents’ homes were still uninhabitable, people in the local community called for answers over what happened. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the national regulator for workplace health and safety, had been investigating whether any regulations had been breached at the site.

After months of examining the incident and making inquiries, HSE investigators have confirmed they will not be taking any action. “We have concluded our investigation into this incident,” a HSE spokesperson said.

In June 2023, ALB said its contractor HBW’s insurers were liaising with Severn Trent’s insurers Sedgwick. The conversion of the old college building was completed in the months after the flooding incident, with the 162-bed ‘Graduation House’ opening in time for the 2023/24 academic year.