A SERIES of disasters have left a Clifton man with no carpets or furniture after his council home was deluged with water three times in a week.

The flooding has rounded off a year from hell for 37-year-year-old Peter Cumberland, who has also suffered six minor strokes.

After his latest round of bad luck Mr Cumberland said: “Things could be worse – I don’t know how, but they could be worse.”

During the turmoil, Mr Cumberland was also forced to find alternative accommodation for his children, aged seven, ten and 11, after they recently returned to live with him.

“It’s gutting me,” he said. “I went to see their school play the other day but couldn’t even go and see them afterwards because I had to get back to the house to let a plumber in.”

Mr Cumberland’s friends have since rallied and supplied him with a replacement television, but he is still without beds, sofas or a cooker.

City of York Council admitted its workmen accidentally caused one leak while repairing an earlier leak, but added that housing department staff had helped him in several ways to cope with his problems. The first leak, in a water tank in the loft of his Burdyke Avenue home, soaked through the top floor of his house to the ground floor, leaving him with ruined furniture, carpets and no electricity. Council officers carried out safety work. Mr Cumberland said: “When the guy from the council came to fix the problem he drilled through a water pipe which caused another flood.”

The workman plugged the hole but not before black, oily water had caused further damage to Mr Cumberland’s home and left him with no hot water or electricity.

Council contractors fixed the problem and supplied him with de-humidifiers to dry out the property, but then he had further problems from an unrelated leak.

Mark Grandfield, asset manager at City of York Council, said: “Repairs were carried out to a burst water pipe in Mr Cumberland’s home on December 1.

Unfortunately, accidental damage was caused while the repairs were being carried out which caused a further leak. “Housing staff have continuously kept Mr Cumberland updated throughout the process, including regular visits, assistance with clearing the property of any wet belongings, provision of dehumidifying equipment and checking the electrics for safety. The water has damaged some decoration, hence we immediately provided vouchers for the purchase of decorating materials so the impact of this can be put right as soon as possible.”