SSB Law: Burnley victims take fight against national cavity wall insulation scandal to Parliament

By Laura Longworth
Published 15th May 2024, 16:42 BST
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This national travesty has been called “1,000 times bigger than the Post Office scandal".

Among the victims and industry experts taking the fight to Parliament on Tuesday were eight Burnley people. Following a protest, they joined MPs at a lobby exposing how some players in the cavity wall insulation industry and several "parasitic legal firms" have exploited homeowners and government green grants. Legal experts believe the scandal impacts more than 10,000 people.

The victims shared their "tragic" stories of facing crushing debts after signing up for "no-win, no-fee" compensation claims with legal firm SSB Law - which collapsed in January - over shoddy cavity wall insulation (CWI) that caused mould and damp in their homes.

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Urging ministers to tighten up legislation, they also warned that the scandal could become 1,500 times worse given nearly 15 million (14.8m.) properties had government-sponsored cavity wall insulation by 2023. With CWI having a 10% technical failure rate in 2015, the victims suggested that unscrupulous no-win, no-fee firms could target around 1,500,000 British homes.

Christian and Rebecca Lofthouse, who shared their dad Ian's story in Parliament to help raise awareness of the cavity wall insulation scandal following the collapse of SSB Law.Christian and Rebecca Lofthouse, who shared their dad Ian's story in Parliament to help raise awareness of the cavity wall insulation scandal following the collapse of SSB Law.
Christian and Rebecca Lofthouse, who shared their dad Ian's story in Parliament to help raise awareness of the cavity wall insulation scandal following the collapse of SSB Law.

Burnley man Christian Lofthouse told MPs how he blamed the stress of the scandal for his dad Ian's death at age 74 following a short battle with pneumonia, sepsis, and the effects of a stroke.

Christian, who attended the protest with his sister Rebecca, said: "Two weeks ago, we lost our father. He was a victim of the cavity wall insulation [scandal]. We felt we needed to do something about it. We can't be the only ones to lose a family member through this. Other people could lose theirs, and we can't let that happen.

"18 months ago, my dad was the life and soul of any party. This whole situation broke him as a person. He already had COPD, and he then contracted asthma with the mould and damp."

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Some of the victims of the cavity wall insulation scandal protesting outside Parliament following the collapse of SSB Law.Some of the victims of the cavity wall insulation scandal protesting outside Parliament following the collapse of SSB Law.
Some of the victims of the cavity wall insulation scandal protesting outside Parliament following the collapse of SSB Law.

Christian said his dad "was suicidal” after receiving a devastating demand for money.

"He wasn't eating, he wasn't sleeping. He felt hounded.

"He was presented with a [bill for] £7,000 that then went up to £12,000. I don't even know where it is now. We haven't been able to go through the paperwork. We're still in the grieving period. We shouldn't have to be here to demand action. We should be at home right now grieving for him."

Single mum Sharon Lord faces a £17,000 bill and now takes medication for anxiety and blood pressure issues due to stress.

Some of the victims of the cavity wall insulation scandal protesting outside Parliament following the collapse of SSB Law.Some of the victims of the cavity wall insulation scandal protesting outside Parliament following the collapse of SSB Law.
Some of the victims of the cavity wall insulation scandal protesting outside Parliament following the collapse of SSB Law.

"This is the worst situation I've ever found myself in. When I got that [letter] through my door, my life crashed. I don't have that money.

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"I had no support from anywhere. I've had three months off work because I'm on three hours of sleep a night. I'm terrified. It’s my children's security, it’s my security, and it could all fall down the drain."

Tyra Morrison is supporting her 73-year-old aunt, Geraldine Sharp.

"She's depressed and down. She's anxious all the time. She won't go out of the house. She's too frightened to do anything. Last night, she didn't sleep at all. She's coughing and spluttering all the time."

Bradford East MP Imran Hussain, who hosted a lobby in Parliament with MPs and several victims of cavity wall insulation scandal following the collapse of SSB Law.Bradford East MP Imran Hussain, who hosted a lobby in Parliament with MPs and several victims of cavity wall insulation scandal following the collapse of SSB Law.
Bradford East MP Imran Hussain, who hosted a lobby in Parliament with MPs and several victims of cavity wall insulation scandal following the collapse of SSB Law.

The MPs in attendance were Imran Hussain, Holly Lynch, Ian Byrne, Kate Hollern, Barry Sheerman, Jason McCartney, Judith Cummins, Richard Burgon, and Yasmin Qureshi, plus representatives for Naz Shah, Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley) and Antony Higginbotham (Burnley).

Related topics:MPsBurnleyParliamentPost Office

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