Concern is growing in Angus over a five-year increase in the number of damp homes complaints.
Fresh figures have revealed the county has seen a year-on-year increase in complaints since 2009.
Statistics obtained by The Courier reveal that Angus has received almost 2,500 complaints over dampin local authority housing during that period.
Repair requests tothe local authority topped 2,400 duringthe period to the end of last year, with thisyear set to top 600 homes.
The figures came as two families spoke of their frustration with their local authority over long-running complaints.
An 89-year-old Carnoustie woman has been reduced to tears over the problems she has had in her Shamrock Street council home in recent weeks.
In that time, normally fit and healthy Isabel Roy, an Angus council tenant for 67 years, has suffered an eye infection and considerable stress over what her family identified as problems with wet walls, black mould and rotten floorboards.
For the past week, she has had no heating in her living room after a storage heater went on the blink.
Her granddaughter Emma, who moved in with Isabel last October to care for her, feels that even though the council hascarried out repairs, the whole episode has been unacceptable.
She believes the council were too slow to respond and some of the work to date has not been carried out satisfactorily.
She said: “A survey has been done and they’ve told us that there is no damp in the house, even though there’s water coming through the chimney and the loft insulation is soaking wet.”
Emma, 35, said they first realisedsomething was wrong when they spotteda wet wall in the loft and the area wassoaking with water. They phoned thecouncil’s emergency number to ask for assistance.
Looking elsewhere in theproperty, they found black mould behind kitchen units.
She said: “It’s taken them three weeks just to treat that, when it should have been done straight away.”
When Emma’s partner investigatedfurther, his foot went through the living room floor. There was water coming through the floor, which meant the council had to replace the floorboards.
They also have concerns about the state of the chimney, which they believe needsrepointed, and say there is water coming in through a crack at the front of the property.
As part of the repairs, the council were all set to install a new gas boiler in the elderly woman’s bedroom, an idea that the family have rejected because they believe it will keep Isobel awake at night. They also feel that, from a health perspective, a bedroom is not the right place for a boiler.
The boiler stand-off has still to be resolved, with the family wanting it fitted in the kitchen but council workers advising them that is not suitable.
Arguments over the boiler left Isobel in tears and Emma says her normally stoic grandmother has cried frequently since and is stressed out by the whole affair.
A council spokeswoman said: “Thecouncil completed all but one of the repairs reported to us on January 23 within target times; the outstanding repair wascompleted within four days.
“We continue to work to resolve repairs as they are raised and are in contact with the tenant and her representative.
“Where required works are extensive, as in this case, it can lead to additional works also being identified, that are unseeninitially and can cause additionaldisturbance for tenants.
“While we try to minimise this during works, it is unavoidable.In terms of installing a boiler into a property, the options can be limited by the layout of the rooms within the house and the cost implications for the work.”Young mum a ‘nervous wreck’Meanwhile, a young Angus mother says she has been left a “nervous wreck” over worries that constant damp in her local authority home is affecting her young daughter’s breathing.
The mother of two,who asked not to be named, said her bath has not drained properlysince last year due to a blocked external drain and council officersasked her to wash walls when she contacted them over spores spreading across her children’s room.
Dark stains have also spread from the skirting up the walls in thebathroom.
Angus Council stated it has sent officers tocheck on the house’scondition and a dampsurvey will be carriedout.
“I’m at the end of my tether with them,” the woman said.“Not only is it affecting my four-month-old daughter’s health but I’m a nervous wreck through the night, constantly checking she’s breathing.”
A council spokeswoman said: “Unfortunately, we were previously unable to gain access to carry out a damp survey.However, we havefollowed this up with the tenant and confirmed that work will be carried out this month.
“Our officers have also provided advice on how to cut down on the condensation in the home.”Council pledges support for tenantsIn response to the complaints and new figures, Angus Council said: “All council homes will meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard by the end of March 2015.
“This means they all have insulation, efficient central heating systems and openable double glazed windows.
“Increases in fuel costs in recent years have made it difficult for some tenants to afford to heat their homes fully. We are working to help by improving the energy efficiency of our homes through extensive investment in insulation and replacement heating.
“In the vast majority of cases, issues reported as damp are condensation.Condensation in homes is prevented by householders using a combination of heating and ventilation.
“We work with each and every tenant who notifies us of condensation problems and provide advice to help them reduce the condensation occurring.”