The victims say they feel "totally let down" by the 25-year guarantees that were supposed to protect them should the CWI fitted under government-backed green energy schemes fail. Janice Sutcliffe (77) had CWI installed in 2014 in her terraced home, and despite it failing, she can only claim £751 to have it removed. It is also despite extraction costing £42,000 to £72,000.
Advertisement Advertisement Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to Burnley Express, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you. "The guarantee wouldn't even cover the redecorating, even if I did it myself. "I feel let down by a company that said their product was far superior to any other, and the Government approved it.
I feel used." The CWI scandal began with a government green scheme initiated in the 1990s to reduce fuel poverty by cutting heating bills for people living in houses with poor energy efficiency, mainly terraces in urban areas like Burnley . Experts say CWI caused mould and damp in some properties due to being installed poorly and in the wrong homes and places (like high-elevation areas with wind-driven rain, such as Burnley).
Victims say installers did not assess their homes to determine their suitability. Advertisement Advertisement Many homeowners add that they cannot use their 25-year warranty to remove the insulation. It is because the installers have closed down, and the guarantee agencies blame the damp and mould on homeowners' lifestyle choices or claim .
