Family’s holiday hell only started when they got home – £158k bill

A family’s holiday nightmare only became clear when they returned home to find their house devastated by flooding — leaving behind £158,000 worth of damage. Liliana De Klerk, 41, had spent three weeks in South Africa visiting family with her husband Jean, also 41, and their two children Charlize, four, and Killian, seven.

But when they arrived back at their five-bedroom home in Blackburn in West Lothian, Scotland, they were met with destruction in every room after a frozen pipe in the attic had burst while they were away. Liliana said there had been no sign of any problem before the family left for their trip earlier in the year.

Liliana, who works as a senior recruiter for a pharmaceutical company, told CreatorZine: “We were so excited to come home after this holiday, we were planning on ordering a Chinese, putting a movie on and chilling. When we opened the door, I literally dropped everything I was carrying.

“It was like a waterfall, the flooring was all destroyed, the ceiling was on the floor. I screamed, ‘Why us, why us?’ and started crying. We had absolutely no warning at all. We are very proud of our house and maintain everything on a yearly basis. It was a freak accident, no one could have guessed a pipe would burst.”

The damage to the property was so severe that a building surveyor has told Liliana all the flooring and walls will have to be removed, leaving only the beams of the house. The family has since been told the repairs — which will be covered by insurance — will cost £158,000.

The work could take so long that the family may not be able to move back home for up to a year, and they are still waiting for their contents insurance claim to be approved.

Liliana added: “I was devastated. I literally lost everything — everything I have is in that house. We had redone the living room, bathroom and the kitchen, so we were finally getting the house of our dreams, slowly but surely. I mourn the memories — I lost pictures, my kids’ baby items, first drawings.

“We have lost everything from clothes to furniture to toys. It’s all gone. They need to strip the house completely to the beams, let it dry and rebuild the whole inside of the house. I am devastated my entire house washed away.

“£158,000 is a lot of money. We would never be able to pay for our house to be restored to its original state. It feels like a mountain that is impossible to climb. My heart is broken.”

The devastating discovery came after four-year-old Charlize was injured while the family were still on holiday.

Liliana said: “My daughter fell down the stairs and broke her femur two days into our holiday. I was very scared, I’d never heard her scream like that. We were not home, so we didn’t know how the hospitals would be in South Africa. She had to have an operation and a plate and screws put in her leg. She can’t walk for six weeks and will need another operation in six months to remove the plate.”

Now Charlize is also dealing with the news that her bedroom, favourite toys and all her belongings were destroyed in the flooding.

Liliana added: “The whole time on the plane, she said she couldn’t wait to go in her bed and cuddle all her teddies to make her leg feel better. Her room was above the water tank — she lost everything. My son is devastated too; he is very quiet, he likes to chill in his room and have some time for himself.”

The family are now crammed into a one-bedroom hotel room in Bathgate while they wait for their insurance claim to be approved. With no relatives in the UK, Liliana said the situation has been “very hard” on them.

However, friends have rallied around the family, sending donations and offering support since they returned home on January 20.

Liliana added: “My friends have stepped up. When we arrived, my best friend came and took the kids straight away to her place so they wouldn’t see the house.

“All my friends have stepped in — donations for the kids, washing some clothes for us. The whole community has stepped up. People’s generosity has been incredible.”

To help replace essentials as the family faces months of upheaval, a GoFundMe has been launched. To donate, visit their page here.