A LONGNIDDRY couple were left shaken after a rogue golf ball shattered the patio doors of their living room.

That shock has now turned to frustration as, three months after the incident, they claim they are being left short by insurers.

Irene and Hugh Reid, of Lyars Road, were quoted £4,000 to replace their smashed patio door after a wayward shot by a golfer playing at Longniddry Golf Club struck their home.

Hugh was sitting in the room at the time.

The couple have lived at the property, which backs onto the 16th hole of the golf course, for over 12 years.

After contacting the golf club, the couple said they were assured they would be compensated.

But Irene said this week: “It’s really bad because it’s going to cost nearly £4,000 to fix and that is a lot of money, and we will probably have to pay for it.

“The golf club’s insurers are claiming that because there is a high hedge and there has never been an incident where the ball has actually hit a window from that hole that they will not pay out.

“It’s not just a window, it’s a door, and that’s why they don’t seem keen on paying up [the full amount].

“It is very obvious that a golf ball has hit the window and the door is double glazed glass, so it’s not easily smashed.”

Irene said she sent two quotes and photos of the damage to the golf club.

Irene and Hugh Reids window was broken by a rouge golf ball in March

Irene and Hugh Reid's window was broken by a rouge golf ball in March

She claimed: “Their insurers just dug their heels in mainly because it is one pane of glass that’s affected but because they are 1960s patio sliding doors, they have to put a PVC unit in and take the existing unit out and replace it.

“Each glazier – we have spoken to three all together – said the same thing; that the whole thing would need to be replaced. It is horrible. We feel the golf club and the insurers want little to do with it. In the long run we will get it done and send them the bill.”

Mrs Reid was left shaken by the incident and was concerned that the ball could have hit herself or her husband.

The couple are calling on the golf club to do more to stop wayward balls from landing in surrounding gardens and damaging properties.

She said: “I would say hundreds of golf balls have landed in our garden over the years, at least one a week.”

Irene added that she and her husband now collect the golf balls for their family and friends.

She added: “Hugh and I do not play golf, so the balls are pretty useless to us.Whenever I speak to people who play golf, I give them a ball.”

She said neither she nor her husband saw the culprit responsible but were adamant the golfer would have heard the window break.

She said: “The golfers were questioned, the ones that would have been at the hole at that time, but nobody owned up to it.”

Jo Kelly, Longniddry Golf Club assistant secretary, said the club had acted appropriately and that the situation was ongoing.

She added: “We have gone through our insurers, who took charge of correspondence about the broken window. I have not been able to get hold of them to make any confirmations about the window situation.

“We initially spoke with our insurers, and had sent over images of the window from the couple.

“The situation’s outcome is to be confirmed.”