Inept council staff left me in hell-hole

AN attack victim battling a mystery damp problem in his Capital flat returned from a weekend away to find his toilet and bath removed by workmen – and left in the hallway.

James Tully, 40, had to have his spleen removed after he was attacked several years ago and as a result is particularly susceptible to infections.

He says his flat at Greendykes House, Greendykes Road is a “hell-hole” and he is worried about his health.

Despite repeated visits from council workers, he has waited for eight months for the source of the damp and leaks in his kitchen and bathroom to be traced. He has to use buckets to collect the water which drips on to his kitchen floor from the ceiling.

He said the final straw came when workers visited on Friday and pulled out his toilet and bath in a bid to find the source of the damp. He went away for the weekend, expecting to find a new bathroom installed when he returned, but instead the toilet and bath had been left in his hallway and the source of the problem remained a mystery.

After the Evening News intervened on Mr Tully’s behalf, the council pledged to repair the problem as a matter of urgency.

Mr Tully, who has lived in the flat for around seven years, said the problem had made him worry for his health.

“I was attacked in 2002 and I had internal bleeding and they had to take my spleen out,” he said. “Now I’m prone to infections and if I catch anything because of the damp it’s going to be worse for me.

“The coldness is coming right through the house now. You can smell it when you walk in. I’ve been through hell.”

He said he was at the end of his tether after waiting so long to find the source of the problem. “The dampness started about eight months ago and I’ve had two housing inspectors out, I’ve had two damp surveyors, I’ve had umpteen plumbers, joiners, and I keep getting fobbed off.

“On Friday they came in and they took everything out to look for the leak and now they say the leak’s coming from the property above. But in December they were at the property above and they took the guy’s bath off to look for the leak and they said then that it isn’t coming from his.

“It’s like a hell-hole. I can’t even get to my cooker because I’ve got the big water tank they’ve taken out of the cupboard and put on the floor in the kitchen.

“They’ve put the toilet back now as it was classed as an emergency job, but that won’t stop the leak.”

A council spokesman said: “We are sorry if Mr Tully has suffered any inconvenience. The source of the leak has been identified and the repairs will be carried out as a matter of urgency.”