Grandmother's life 'hell' after four year water leak

Wendy Hinton's flat has been plagued by mould and sagging ceilings

A grandmother who has had water coming through her ceiling for four years says the leak has made her life "hell".

Wendy Hinton, 72, said she loves her flat in Churchdown, Gloucester, but that the leak, which is coming from the flat above, has caused mould and sagging ceilings and means her grandchildren are no longer able to visit.

Mrs Hinton has resorted to wearing bin bags in bed after water "came straight down" on her and said: "Life's very hard because I never know what I'm going to wake up to."

Bromford Housing, which owns the building, said independent investigations are pending after it "resolved" an issue in the flat above.

After coming to check the damp wiring, electricians found 22 faults due to the water damage to Mrs Hinton's flat

Mrs Hinton is the leaseholder of her property and she said the other flats in the building are rented out by the housing association.

"I've had this problem of water coming through walls, down windows, ceilings, the whole lot," Mrs Hinton said.

"My grandchildren can't come up because it's not a safe place to be.

"One night, I was in bed and the water just came straight down. I've ended up with black bags over me to keep dry.

"This was a family home and everything's been taken away from me."

Mrs Hinton's daughter, Laura, (right) and granddaughter, Chloe, (left) said it breaks their hearts to see her like this

A plumber has told the family that the problem is coming from the flat above and after coming to check the damp wiring, electricians found 22 faults due to the water damage, Mrs Hinton said.

She is now living in a caravan, as her family is worried for her safety.

Her daughter, Laura, said her mum is unable to cook or have a shower at her flat.

"I've got six children and it's no place for them to be," she said.

"It should be something we can come up to and enjoy, and we can't. Christmases haven't been great either.

"It's not nice to see my mum be treated like this, it's really unfair."

Bromford Housing said it has met Mrs Hinton on numerous occasions, and resolved an issue in the flat above last September, which affected her bathroom.

The housing association said it has found no evidence of leaks or structural issues, but that it will resolve any issues that are found through the independent investigations that are about to take place.