Angry residents say they are regretting moving to Ashford’s new Chilmington Green estate after scores of new-build homes were badly damaged in Storm Eunice.

Several properties in the Chilmington Lakes part of the development had cladding ripped off by 80mph gusts which damaged cars, garages and gardens.

And in nearby Discovery Drive, a row of more than 20 homes facing open fields all had tiles blown away from the same part of their roofs.

The homes are less than two years old, with some residents having only moved in a few months ago.

Hodson Developments, which built Chilmington Lakes, has promised to repair the damaged cladding.

However, several homeowners in Discovery Drive are angered by their developer Barratt Kent which has confirmed it will not carry out repairs as damage caused by extreme weather is not covered in the warranty.

Residents regret moving to Chilmington Green

This is something resident Wasiu Olukoya, who moved in just over a year ago, feels is “completely unfair”.

“I feel we have made a mistake moving here,” he said.

“We are like the fence for the properties behind; we protect the others from being damaged but it shouldn’t be that way.

“It’s on the same place on every roof but Barratt is not willing to take any responsibility and we feel they haven’t even empathised with us.

“They have just said deal with it; use your own insurance.

“We bought this home for £360,000 and we can’t even use the terrace because it’s too windy.”

Mr Olukoya says he has even booked his home in for an evaluation and is thinking about moving away from the area.

This is not the first time homes in Discovery Drive have had issues with the roof tiles.

Resident Kendal Taylor says a similar issue occurred last year which Barratt Kent did fix.

The 29-year-old added: “When the tiles were damaged by winds before they replaced them but now they won’t.

“There are tiles in the gutters and it’s a hazard but we have been told to clear it ourselves.

“They knew it was a windy area when they built the homes so they should have built them with that in mind.”

Homeowner Glenn Smith fears what this might mean for his insurance.

The 40-year-old added: “Barratt has left us high and dry which is disheartening when other housebuilders have taken responsibility.

“You don’t have to be an expert to see there is obviously a problem with the roofs; they’ve all got holes in exactly the same places.

"It’s a weakness where they’re not nailed down properly.

"Because the tiles are always flying off the roof, if we keep having to claim on our insurance, our premiums are going to go up and a lot of companies will say it’s an ongoing problem so they won’t insure us.

“Everyone here works hard and we got sold this dream which hasn’t become a reality.”

In a statement, a spokeswoman for Barratt Kent said: “A small number of properties at our Chilmington Green development were affected by the recent storms.

“As roofs damaged by extreme weather are not covered under the new build home buyer warranty, we advise anyone who has been affected to contact their home insurance company directly to arrange repairs.”

However, many residents who have tried to go through their insurance say they are waiting for the developer to provide the companies with details of which materials were used so the claims can be processed.

"It needs to be a lesson learned for anyone constructing these new homes..."

At Chilmington Lakes, Gill and Eddy Day moved into the development four months ago.

Mr Day said: “We have had minor damage compared to everyone else but some cladding from next door flew off and damaged our garage door.

"It’s very lucky no one was hurt – unless it’s fixed properly it’s going to be a perennial problem.”

Jan Jacobs, who moved to Highwood Drive in April says his car was scratched and the windscreen smashed by cladding falling from the side of his newly built home.

However the 40-year-old says he is pleased with the way the developers have handled the situation, adding: "On the day, the site managers were here keeping an eye on everything to make sure it wasn’t dangerous.

"It's one of those things we cannot do anything about but I'm pleased with how it has been handled, they’ve offered to fix everything

"The red weather alert warned this might have happened, I'm just glad no one was injured."

One resident who moved in three months ago but wished to remain anonymous said: "The storm was crazy and there was not a lot we could do about that, but with global warming you would expect new-builds to be a bit more robust.

"There were tiles flying all over the place and some garages were quite badly hit.

"There’s no point replacing them on a like-for-like basis if this is going to happen again so hopefully things will be secured properly this time."

However identical properties in Chilmington Gate further along the A28 remain largely unscathed in comparison.

In a statement, Hodson Developments confirmed it will repair the damage following the storm.

The company is selling homes on the estate for between £284,995 and £740,000.

“We are aware that some horizontal lap cladding became removed from a few of the homes at the development,” a spokesman said.

“This damage was solely caused by the extreme winds we all encountered last Friday.

“The winds did not affect the structure or integrity of any of the properties and the external facade fibre cement cladding is a decorative feature.

“Any damaged cladding will be replaced within the next few days by our cladding contractors.

“Additionally, due to the strong winds from Storm Eunice, some roof tiles were displaced. We have been made aware that two homes have roof tiles lodged in their gutters.

"We design and build exceptional quality homes..."

“Our roofing contractor inspected the development and we have organised for a lift plant and roofing labour to attend the development to remove any displaced tiles and install new ones where they have been displaced from roofs.

“Prior to Storm Eunice, we took all necessary precautions to ensure the development was well prepared to withstand the storm and high winds.

"During this extreme weather event, which caused chaos across Ashford, we had a team of site operatives located at the development in case any residents required help in any way and to ensure the development remained safe.

"At Chilmington, we design and build exceptional quality homes with high specifications for families to live."

Ashford MP Damian Green is calling for developers to take a second look at new-build homes following the storm damage.

“It needs to be a lesson learned for anyone constructing these new homes because they need to be able to cope with these strong winds,” he said.

“A lot of very good homes are being built, but my message to the developer would be to take a second look at everything they’re building and make sure it is fit for purpose in years to come because it may well be that we see more of this kind of weather.”

Near the town centre, flats in Bakers Court that were built in 2016 were also hit by storm damage.

Fire crews blocked Hardinge Road on Friday after residents reported tiles and masonry falling from the roof.