Estate residents say homes are making them ill

Luke Griffiths and Lee Bowker are among tenants upset with the work on their homes

Social housing residents in Shropshire have said a delayed refurbishment project on their homes is making their families ill.

Work on Sandpits Avenue and Sandpits Close in Ludlow started two years ago, but was disrupted by a change of contractor.

Tenants said shoddy workmanship had left holes, gaps and draughts at a time when bills were rising, including their rent and heating.

Landlord Connexus has apologised, but said it was committed to the £6m project to improve items like windows and insulation.

Luke Griffiths told BBC Radio Shropshire: "We've had new windows fitted with big gaps underneath which have let draughts come in.

"The mould's got so bad in areas of our house, the kitchen cupboards have been falling off."

He added that his two young children had suffered health problems, which started after work on the cavity wall insulation.

"They didn't fill the holes in properly, so it's blasted polystyrene balls into the kitchen, layers of dust all over my house and my son was eight weeks old.

"He's had chest infection after chest infection, bronchiolitis, bronchitis."

Mr Griffiths said: "We've got our heating on pretty much all the time, just to keep the house warm. It's a shambles, it really is."

Luke Griffiths said one of his windows had been partly bricked-up

His neighbour Lee Bowker said: "There's ceilings with holes in them, smoke alarms hanging down - these haven't been corrected yet."

He added: "The contractors, they come in then get moved. For whatever reason, it all came to a stop. Things need to move forward rather than being put back all the time."

Local councillor Andy Boddington called for an urgent meeting with Connexus.

The Liberal Democrat said: "This is the worst thing we've had in Ludlow for decades. If you go round the houses, you think: 'God, this is disgraceful.'"

In a statement, Connexus said: "To get back on track, our new contractor has been on site completing work on properties where it had already started, as well as on five empty homes which will be completed in the next few weeks."

It added that it had written twice to tenants to explain the delay, and would continue to keep customers updated as work progressed.

Mr Griffiths said his message to the landlord was simple: "You're just leaving us to live in this situation and it's not fair, it's not on.

"You need to have a look and see what damage you're doing to the families, and you really need to sort your act out."