A Sedgley resident says the state of her Dudley Council property with leaking roof has had a big impact on her health.

Express & Star

We take a look at a Sedgley pensioners bungalow complete with bags on the ceiling to catch the water leaking in. She says its been months and the problem is still not fixed.  Dudley Council said: Councillor Ian Bevan, cabinet member for housing and communities, said: “A leak in the roof of this property was first brought to our attention in March this year. Since then, a number of attempts to locate and rectify the leak have failed.  “Two weeks ago our workmen found the source of the leak, and a repair was undertaken.  “This repair is a temporary measure, and we are continuing to monitor it while we put together a more permanent solution which will work in conjunction with the current roof covering at the property.  “The tenant has been kept updated throughout, and we had officers at the property last week assessing the current situation. We are working hard on a permanent solution which will bring this matter to a close for the tenant.”

Transcript

00:00So Joy, we're just here in Sedgley in your bungalow. What should be, they say

00:06every person's home, every English person's home is a castle. You're not loving

00:10this castle at the minute though are you? Not at all. So this is where you sleep but

00:14just come and take us through to the room next door Joy, because it's a bit

00:19cold in here and it doesn't feel the most cosiest and there's a reason why. It's worse in the depths of winter, it's freezing.

00:25Yeah, well we've been fortunate with the weather haven't we. Yeah, it's like an icebox.

00:29That's the room that's causing the main problem with wet. Right, so we're in a room here and

00:40as we can see, look at this, we've got some temporary covering on a ceiling underneath

00:49a skylight there. Yeah. And these tubes are to catch the water. Yes. I don't know if you can

00:57pick it up, we've got a puddle of water there gathering on the floor. So Joy,

01:01fill us in, how long have you been living here then? Almost, getting on for six months now,

01:07coming up to six months. So there was a delay moving in wasn't there, because the

01:11boiler was leaking, is that right? Yes, antiquated, lavatory was leaking and the

01:18roof, very serious leaks on the roof. And they tried to fix the boiler three times and then came

01:25to the conclusion it needed a new boiler. That's right, yes. Yeah, and obviously when you first

01:31had a look around the place you didn't realise that there was issues with the roof. A quick

01:36view, five minutes straight in and I thought okay, I'll take it, not realising the dreadful issues

01:44that it had. Yeah. Not at all, otherwise I would never have signed up. And you've, just fill us in

01:51on what you've been getting then, you've had mould issues, insects, just fill us in a little bit on

01:55the problems you've had here Joy. Yeah, mould, black spores, wet, infestated with insects I think is a

02:05result of the roof problem. Very stressful, going out to the bedroom it was crumbling away

02:17like the foundations, my brother-in-law had to repair that. Just an ongoing problems,

02:27no peace of mind, a total nightmare for six months of my life which has resulted in my ill health.

02:35I've already got health problems, broken ribs, slip discs in the spine, osteo in the left hip,

02:44fibromyalgia and this has just about put the tin lid on it for me, living here. And you said really

02:53you know with this problem just going on and on and on, you approached the cancer, you said look

02:58just move me, I want to be moved, but what was their response to that? They showed disinterest,

03:04they didn't seem at all overly concerned whatsoever, they just sent somebody around

03:12like a support worker to have a chat with me, thinking that that was going to make things okay.

03:19It was just a lost cause and I was pleading with them on my hands and knees and they just made me

03:27feel I was being a nuisance. Yeah, they said well you've got to live here two years before you can

03:32be considered for a move unless it's an exceptional case. Yes, I don't fit the criteria for a transfer

03:39into something better, more appropriate for my health because I haven't been here two years,

03:45so I feel as if I'm being forced to live in a situation that I find intolerable, unbearable.

03:54I understand they even said well you looked at the property and accepted it but obviously you

03:59didn't come with a set of ladders and climb up the roof at the time did you? Of course not,

04:03of course not and I didn't know that the boiler was over 15 years old, the heating engineer said

04:11and you know it just wasn't fit for purpose, none of it. All it's done, all the property has done

04:18has caused me nothing but stress and anxiety from start to finish and you get to the end of your

04:28tether and you lose all patience until you can't wait to get in bed at night and you dread going up

04:36in the morning and the only way I get respite is to go and stay with my family in Coventry

04:44to get out of the way of it all because it's just to you know get some respite.

04:52You said you've had plenty of people go up on the roof kind of staff come in taking pictures and

04:57saying oh yeah we can see that we can see cracks and stuff but nothing seems to be actually getting

05:02nothing was being done they'd come in and go several times a week oh sweep leaves off say

05:10oh it's cracked and this that and the other but still nothing being done and all the time

05:16you know it was just making me affecting my health impacting on me terribly.

05:21So it's it's left you it's left you feeling kind of tainted about the the whole place hasn't it?

05:26Absolutely I feel discouraged I feel disillusioned my heart's not in it I feel as if I can't paint

05:34and decorate the place and move on and settle and make it a home unless or until the situation

05:43is being resolved. I hate the place I absolutely loathe being here. And Joy we've got next to you

05:50that's that's your that's your freezer. That's my freezer I can't put it where it should be in the

05:56big store room for obvious reasons I've had carrier bags full of all my possessions toiletries

06:04all sorts of things can't put them in there because they were getting wet and full of creepy

06:09crawlies and insects. And there's a section of the roof they had to cut out because it was bowing

06:15wasn't it Joy? Yes.

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Transcript

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