A PENSIONER cannot wait to settle back into her home after her insurance company has made a surprise u-turn and are now offering to shell out for water damage which forced her to move into rented accommodation.

Just two weeks ago the Herts Advertiser reported how Cosette Martin, of Lye Lane, Bricket Wood, had been fighting since April to get her insurance firm, Aviva, to pay for damage to her living room caused by a leaking pipe.

And finally the 74 year old, who suffers from dementia, can breathe a sigh of relief as Aviva has admitted they made an error with her policy details.

They have now told Mrs Martin they will cover the cost of the contents damage and get rid of the mould that has grown up her walls.

Her son, Alex Martin, who believes he caught bacterial phenomena from the mould spores in his mother’s home, said: “I have to say thanks to The Herts Advertiser. Aviva are now being as nice as pie and are bending over backwards to help.

“I am still a little bit angry at them because of all the work I did and my sister did to get them to see there was an error, when all the time my mother was insured for this stuff. A lot of people would’ve given up.

“She cannot wait to move back in, she didn’t want to leave in the first place but we told her because of the health risk she had to go.

“She has lived there for over 40 years and it has a lot of happy memories. It is going to be that feeling of going back home after a long journey.”

Mr Martin hopes his mother’s home will be safe to live in again within the next month once the work is completed.