All pleased to be back

Aversham House staff and residents are happy to be home again after a leaky sprinkler system hose burst, flooding the house and forcing it to be evacuated.

Owner Cheryl Powell said the group were just getting ready for tea when one of the residents noticed a drip from the ceiling, which soon got worse.

"It was like a tidal wave coming down the corridor, it was pouring out through the light fittings," Mrs Powell said.

The Masterton fire service found the hose connected to the sprinkler system in the ceiling had split.

Mrs Powell said six bedrooms were affected; huge holes appeared in the ceiling of the hallway and two bedrooms.

All 21 residents were moved - some to Kandahar Home, one to Lyndale Villa and a couple to family members - and were not able to return for 12 days.

Mrs Powell said with ceilings needing to be fixed, wallpaper and carpets replaced and the power off, it was not safe for residents to be there.

"[Residents] were pretty good about it, they looked on it as a bit of an adventure to start." She was thankful to Kandahar and Lyndale for taking in the residents.