A GALASHIELS resident has claimed his home has been damaged during the construction of the new Borders Railway - the longest new domestic railway to be built in the UK for over 100 years.

William McCulloch revealed he faced a repair bill of £6,140 after cracks began appearing in his Chapel Street property just months after it had been rough casted.

He blamed vibrations caused during the £295 million rebuilding project which he claimed were so bad that they caused ornaments and pictures inside to move and fall and left he and his wife stressed out.

After seeking advice from a surveyor, the local athletics coach complained to Network Rail, who constructed the line between Tweedbank and Edinburgh, ahead of its official opening by The Queen last month.

However, despite offering to pay 75 per cent of the costs of repairs, it has so far refused to take responsibility and instead questioned the standard of the local building firm who carried out the work.

Mr McCulloch, who lives just yards from the new station in Galashiels, said: “Before the work on the railway began I had a solid coating on my gable wall, now I don’t. Their offer is £1535 under my claim which is unfair and unjust.

“Prior to us discovering the damage, my wife and I both experienced extreme vibrations within the living room to the rear of the property, caused by the works on the railway being undertaken at the front of the house. The vibrations caused ornaments and picture frames to move and fall. We have been informed by a member of (contractors) BAM that the pecking work was unscheduled works owing to the existing retaining wall (in neighbouring Ladhope Vale) being insufficient and having to be removed and replaced with a stronger retaining wall.”

The Borders Railway re-establishes passenger train services to the region for the first time in almost half a century and is expected to bring a boost to the local housing market.

However, Mr McCulloch has threatened to take the matter to the Financial Services Ombudsman unless his concerns are resolved.

Adrian Cook, a Senior Construction Adjuster acting on behalf of Network Rail, said: “Having carefully considered all aspects of (the) claim and in order to bring matters to a conclusion, I am prepared to make a recommendation to Network Rail that they make a contribution to the remedial works at a rate of 75 per cent of the total or in other words £4,605, this as a gesture of goodwill and with no admission of liability. I believe this to be a fair and equitable settlement offer for the given circumstances and do not anticipate any improvement.” But he added: “Whilst I have no doubt that vibrations were felt at (Mr McCulloch’s) property during the Network Rail works, I now have real concerns as to whether this is a workmanship issue.”

Mr McCulloch defended DB Plastering, who carried out the work. And pointed out that local firms in the Borders relied on their reputations and must maintain a high standard to survive.

Following a site visit, Ecky Boland from the Galashiels-based firm, said: “On inspection of the roughcasting, I noticed that the end of the gable closest to the main road had become Boss (loose) from roof height to the ground and had travelled at least a metre back. The amount of granite chip lying on the floor below the gable resembled a fruit tree after being shaken.”

Network Rail said it was unable to comment on Mr McCulloch’s case.

A spokeswoman for Network Rail said: “When the Borders Railway project receives complaints of this nature, they are forwarded to a loss adjustor to investigate and evaluate the claims. Once a claim has been passed to the loss adjustor, it becomes a legal process. As such, Network Rail cannot provide comment on this particular case.”