A mum is in despair after the roof of her house blew off and landed on top of her caravan.

Louise Brazil, 27, of Cotherstone, on the Longmead Estate, Epsom, said the roof of her three-storey house ripped off in high winds early on Saturday morning.

The debris landed on top of her caravan, parked in the front drive, which she uses to take her four children - including her 10-year-old son who has Asperger’s and another son, 3, who she said has mental delay and low muscle tone - on holidays as they cannot go abroad with these conditions.

Mrs Brazil fears that Rosebery Housing Association, which manages her house, will not pay out on its insurance to cover the cost of the caravan.

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She said: "I was in bed, fast asleep, and heard a really loud noise.  A bang.  I checked the children but never thought to look out the window to check if the roof had blown off.

"I saved over £1,000 for the caravan.  It took me a year to buy that to be able to take the kids on little holidays. 

"They can’t fly or go on public transport.  With conditions like Asperger’s my son will say ‘I just want to go home now’. 

"With the caravan, I can turn around and come home.  It’s the only thing I can do and it’s absolutely ruined."

Mrs Brazil said the housing association has not clarified whether its insurance will cover the cost of the damaged caravan, but somebody she spoke to yesterday morning, February 17, said it would not.

She said: "It’s their roof that blew onto the top of our caravan.  I’m going to be left with a heap of rubbish on the drive.

"My next door neighbour cleared most of the roof.  The rest is left on my caravan.

"Someone needs to pay for the damage."

A spokeswoman for Rosebery Housing Association said: "We are very sorry for the damage that has been reported to Mrs Brazil’s caravan.

"It is usual for residents to claim on their own insurance when these things happen.

"However, as Mrs Brazil is without a policy, our own insurers will determine whether our policy may cover any repairs required, as we are awaiting the full details of Mrs Brazil’s claim.

"We will contact her once we have an update."

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Got a story? Contact Hardeep Matharu on the newsdesk on 020 8722 6346 or email hmatharu@london.newsquest.co.uk


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