A FRUSTRATED Penistone man is considering taking legal action against a building firm after his house flooded due to faulty plumbing.

IT manager Alan Smith, of Usker Close, woke to discover water spurting from a kitchen cupboard and the downstairs of his property soaked.

The 57-year-old has since discovered the problem stemmed from an incorrectly-assembled water pipe, which was put together during the building process by developers Taylor Wimpey.

He has received an apology from the company and had the fault rectified but Taylor Wimpey has failed to compensate him for damage to his possessions, instructing him to claim on his house insurance, which means he will have to pay an excess.

Mr Smith moved in to the then newly-built home in November 2008.

He now wants to sell it and estimates the cost to repair the problem, which includes damaged cabinets, floor tiles, skirting boards and kitchen furniture, to be about £2,500.

Although a Taylor Wimpey contractor changed the pipe fitting, it was left to Mr Smith to clean up the mess and he was without water for three days.

A Taylor Wimpey spokesman said: "We have been in regular contact with Mr Smith and have repaired the broken pipe at his home as a gesture of goodwill, despite the property being out of warranty.

"We would be happy to meet with Mr Smith alongside representatives from both D Rose Plumbing (Taylor Wimpey's contractors) and Plasson UK to try and resolve the situation."