Damaged drains. Will I be covered??

[goddardo]

So just after Christmas I noticed our drain gully was backing up so I called a company out, and long story short, they were blocked due to being in a bad state, roots, cracked, pushed slightly out of line....etc The camera they sent down verified this, but when the guys arrived they noticed that we had a newly flagged yard and asked if they used one of those power compressor things to flatten the sand bed down. I don't think they did but I did tell them that the new flags were laid over old ones to which they said that the weight may have caused some pipe damage..... Anyway all that has been fixed now but I'm left with a sizeable bill... I wondered how I stood insurance wise with this... Could the poss weight related damage I mentioned be classed as accidental damage? Any advice or expertise would be very welcome guys.. Cheers

 

[denso13]

I doubt it but you'd really need to ask your insurance company.

 

[goddardo]

I will be calling them later but just wanted some expert info before I make the call

 

[John D v2.0]

Sounds like rubbish from the drains company, I don't see how laying a patio can cause roots to grow into the pipe that quickly. Next they'll be asking if you had Santa Claus visit recently as he's a bit fat and has a heavy sleigh.
It's not accidental damage it's an old drain in poor condition.
Whether they cover the actual repairs to bring it back to a good standard, or just the unblocking, you'd have to check the terms an conditions.

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

I dont suppose the drain company have given you a rather expensive quote to repair the said drains by any chance? No denying the damage if its on camera, but as John has said, root ingress wont happen overnight. A Wacker plate will not damage a drain in otherwise good condition. The drains are likely to be the same age as the house, if age isnt on their side, they may not be in the best of condition now.

If you want to get something done, look at the possibility of lining them if that's an option, rather than excavation, and pulling up your new paving. Look around for a couple of quotes, if relay is the only option, then a builder/groundworker is probably going to be cheaper than a drainage 'specialist'.