Baldock estate agent staff have thanked firefighters and other good Samaritans who helped after their office was flooded.
Daniel Tupper, Baldock property valuer at the town’s branch of Satchells, opened the front door of the High Street office at 8.15am as usual to be confronted with mains water pouring through the ceiling and an almost totally submerged floor.
Firefighters quickly isolated the electrics and used a pump to get the water out – and strangers, including a landscaper who happened to be passing, stopped to give what help they could.
Office manager Christine McGuire said: “Our entire office was in a very sorry state and I think it’s fair to say that we were all in shock and disbelief at what was going on around us.
“We are particularly grateful and would like to say a huge thank you to Baldock’s firefighters, who were not only quick to respond and assist, but also calm and reassuring despite the general panic.
“To the local people who passed by that day offering help and caring support, we would like you to know how grateful we are and how much your concern meant to us all.
“We are very lucky to be based in a town with such a remarkable community spirit. It was a horrendous day but everyone has been amazing.”
Christine said the team would like to thank Paul Warman from Precise Property Services, who stopped to help after he saw the fire engines outside the office on Saturday, March 4, as well as Jo Treadaway of Treadaway Electricals for his ‘first-class service to us during these difficult times’.
She said: “We’ve got to the point now where ceilings are down – we’re at that drying out stage and it looks a bit like a builders’ yard here at the moment, but we’re hoping there’ll be an update next week.
“Hopefully work can start in the next couple weeks and we can relaunch at the end of April with all the repairs done.”
The repair work means the customers’ entrance is temporarily through the side door, behind the war memorial, with the sales team working from the first floor.
Christine added: “Our team here in Baldock have worked very hard since that Saturday, going above and beyond in an incredibly stressful environment, to ensure that the office remained open and could continue to provide a professional service to our clients. It’s business as usual.”
Assistant Chief Fire Officer Chris Bigland said: “We were pleased that we were able to help the team at Satchells after a burst water pipe resulted in severe flooding.
“We acted quickly to isolate the electrical supplies and pumped the water out of the office. A key part of our role is to mitigate the impact of incidents such as this on businesses so we are delighted to hear that the office will shortly be reopening.”
For updates see satchells.com or their Facebook page at facebook.com/satchellsestateagent.
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