London homeowner ordered to repay £225,000 to Thames Water over flood claim

A London homeowner has been ordered to repay £225,000 to Thames Water after the High Court found that she pursued a compensation claim describing her flood-hit property as unsaleable even though she had already sold the property. Karen Imber’s home in Woodford Green, Essex, suffered sewage flooding in 2006, 2007 and 2014.According to International Comparative Legal Guides (ICLG), she brought a claim against the water company for losses caused by the flooding and agreed to a £225,000 settlement in September 2023.However, Thames Water later discovered that Imber had accepted an offer of £780,000 for the property before mediation and completed the sale on 3 August 2023. On 23 October 2026, the High Court rescinded the settlement after finding that the claim involved fraudulent misrepresentation and dishonesty.How did a house sale lead to a £225,000 Thames Water repayment orderDeputy Master Marzec granted summary judgment in favour of Thames Water after finding no real prospect that Thames Water would fail to establish misrepresentation, reliance and dishonesty. Imber had claimed that she was trapped in the property because it was unsaleable. However, she had already accepted an offer ...