£1,000 raised for Doncaster 'sewerman' after works van destroyed in blaze

Chris Powell, a city drainage and plumbing expert, saw his van go up in smoke – with all his kit reduced to ashes in a matter of moments.

But concerned friends rallied round – and a crowdfunding appeal has seen money pour in for Chris.

You can donate to the appeal HERE

Pal Marc Bettison who organised the fundraiser said: “Chris had one of the worst weekends of his life.

"I'm asking for your support to help Chris rebuild his business. We are a large community of Sewermen and I'm confident many of you would be happy to make a contribution however small in order to help a fellow Sewerman.”

Chris said: “I had a knock on the door from a neighbour to tell me my truck was on fire.

“Went outside to see the whole thing ablaze.

“All my cameras and kit inside - an absolute endless list of kit reduced to ash in 20 minutes.

"To add to this dilemma, when the fuel tank blew, the side of my Iveco went up and the fuel ran down the road and set fire to my Transit and torched the rear end of that.

“The end result is absolutely devastating as being a one man band, this has put a massive dent into years of hard work.

"The insurance companies are now arguing about what they will and won’t pay for - just a nightmare.”