Woman, 65, says her ‘pride and joy’ bungalow is infested with mould because her housing company has failed to repair leaking pipe in her loft
- Woman said home mouldy as housing company hadn’t repaired water damage
- Barbara Bishop, 65, has lived in her bungalow in Nottinghamshire, for a decade
A woman said her ‘pride and joy’ bungalow was covered in mould because her housing company had not repaired water damage caused by leaking pipes.
Barbara Bishop, 65, has lived in her bungalow in Barton, Nottinghamshire, which Metropolitan Trent Valley Housing (MTVH) manages, for ten years.
Ms Bishop said problems started just before Christmas, when she said the freezing weather led to a leak in her loft’s water pipes and tank which eventually flooded out her entire bungalow.
Ms Bishop: ‘This bungalow used to be my pride and joy but now it’s all damp.
‘The hallway wallpaper is hanging off and mould is spilling out everywhere like there is no tomorrow.
Barbara Bishop, 65, (pictured) has lived in her bungalow in Barton, Nottinghamshire, which Metropolitan Trent Valley Housing manages, for ten years
‘I was actually wiping the mould off the walls but one of my friends said I should leave it because MVTH need to see how bad it is.
‘Nobody has done anything since Christmas and not one workman has stepped foot in here.
‘They’ve ignored my whole situation in that I’m sitting here in a wet bungalow and my clothes and my bed are getting damper and damper.’
Barbara Bishop said she has since had to throw out personal belongings and that some of her neighbours had to come into her home wearing wellies to clear up the mess, with the water four inches deep at one stage.
Ms Bishop said: ‘The hallway wallpaper is hanging off and mould is spilling out everywhere like there is no tomorrow’
Ms Bishop, who is on Universal Credit, said the mental health issues that she has long suffered with have been made worse by her situation
It is understood the leak may have been caused by a loose joint rather than a frozen pipe.
MTVH sent a plumber and electrician out immediately after the flooding to fix the leak and the company has also supplied a dehumidifier.
An MTVH spokesperson said: ‘We understand how difficult this period has been for Ms Bishop. She rightly expects her home to be fully repaired, and we are working to ensure this happens.
‘We responded quickly to fix the leak, and we have agreed to undertake the necessary works and redecoration to repair the water damage.
‘As discussed with Ms Bishop, her home will need to be dried out before these works can begin. Unfortunately, this is taking longer than expected.’
What is pipe lagging?
Most homes in the UK have a complex network of water pipes.
Insulating this pipework is called lagging and by sealing in heat, it saves energy and has a host of other benefits too.
To protect water pipes around your home you will require pipe lagging or insulation.
This simply means adding insulation to the water pipes around your home as it prevents them from freezing be it piping inside the home or outside.
It also helps exposed hot water pipes to retain their heat when running through those unheated parts of the house.
Source: PipeLagging.com
Ms Bishop, who is on Universal Credit, said the mental health issues that she has long suffered with have been made worse by her situation.
Ms Bishop has since agreed to swap properties with her neighbour’s father, who wants to be near his daughter, despite knowing about the condition of the bungalow.
Despite this swap being agreed, MTVH reportedly told Barbara the moving process could take around eight weeks.
Ms Bishop said she is ‘scared’ when going to bed at night in case the bungalow floods again.
She was allegedly told by the plumber who first came to fix the leak that another flood may happen again given the pipes were not ‘lagged’ properly.
Lagging is a term often used to describe pipe insulation.
Ms Bishop said the dehumidifier she has been provided with does not work properly and the environmental health team at Rushcliffe Borough Council are looking into the situation.
A Rushcliffe Borough Council spokesperson said: ‘The resident has been referred to her landlord Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing. We are in liaison with the landlord regarding their action plan and remedial action and have asked them to keep us informed of their work to resolve the issues the property is experiencing.’
The MTVH spokesperson added: ‘We have spoken with Ms Bishop about the importance of using the dehumidifier we provided immediately after the leak was repaired. In addition, two weeks ago we offered to provide and subsidise the use of four temporary heaters to further speed up the drying out process.
‘Once Ms Bishop’s home is dry, we will carry out the necessary wall treatment, plastering, redecorating and other works. During this period, we will also check all pipe insulation in the loft area.
‘We visited Ms Bishop [on February 13] to discuss these plans, and to see if she requires any additional support.
We will continue to work with Ms. Bishop to ensure that her home is returned to the comfortable condition she expects.’
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