Residents of a new-build estate in north Swindon have experienced significant problems with their houses over the last week, as water leaks through their roofs and ceilings.

Despite only moving into their new properties two years ago, homeowners in St Andrew’s Ridge have been told by the developers that the recent heavy snow caused the leaks, and that nothing can be done to help them.

Kayleigh McCulloch, 29, who lives on the estate’s Millard Road, said: “I have four bedrooms, and three out of the four have water coming through the ceiling.

“I rang Barratt on Monday morning and told them our roof was leaking. They sent their site managers around, and when they came through the door they were not polite, and there was no empathy. They said, ‘it’s not Barratt’s problem, that’s storm damage. It’s not Barratt’s fault’.”

Kayleigh, a fraud analyst, who lives with her husband and three children, aged seven, two and six months, asked a roofer to take a look at her ceiling.

She was told that the leak was due to a ventilation gap in her ceiling, which allowed snow to enter the building.

As loft insulation became increasingly sodden, melting snow started to seep through to the rooms, as she discovered when one of her children pointed to a growing stain on the bathroom ceiling.

To have roofing felt installed to rectify the problem would require the whole roof to be replaced, Kayleigh was told.

The problem appears widespread on the estate, with local Facebook forums flooded with comments about similar leaks. Kayleigh said her next-door neighbour and people in the house opposite both have the same problem.

The MP for North Swindon, Justin Tomlinson, who has been vocal on the subject of the quality of new houses in the area, said: “Reports of poor quality builds are a disgrace. Hard-working people have paid good money for their own homes and shoddy, slap-dash work is totally unacceptable.

“I have raised this issue in parliament, and I welcome the government commitment to bring in stronger powers to protect the consumer. These powers can’t come soon enough.”

Kayleigh, who is pursuing the issue through the National House-Building Council, has been told by Barratt that they are unable to help with issues which they say were caused by the weather.

A spokesman for Barratt said: “We sincerely apologise that this has occurred and for any associated inconvenience, but this is a temporary condition based on the severity of recent weather conditions. The extreme wind and fineness of the snow meant that snow has made its way through vents into the roofs. The vents are installed in order to comply with building regulations and, as such, the homes affected by the snow were not defective in any way.

“Therefore, under these circumstances it is with regret that we are unable to take any further action regarding this issue.”