Hole lot of trouble

The damage to the kitchen ceiling at the address on Potton Road, Biggleswade

Carl and Sharon Henman of Potton Road, are currently living with a hole in their kitchen ceiling, which extends all the way to the top of their house.

They are using A4 sheets of paper to cover up the hole.

Aragon Housing Association, which is responsible for the work, had told the couple work would be completed two weeks after they moved in.

The hole which leads right up to the top of the house and down into the kitchen

But so far Mrs Henman, 48, said nothing had been done to the house.

She said: “I had someone come around on Tuesday to take a quote but we have been here for seven weeks now.

“I’ve been down and depressed since moving in because we were of the understanding that the work would be completed a couple of weeks at most after we moved here.

“We haven’t been told anything at all.

“We used to live in Gamlingay but took part in a house swap to move to Biggleswade but it has been a nightmare.

“It is now really annoying because we can’t do anything until the work is done.”

Bob Hopkins, Head of Repairs & Tenant Safety, said: “Mr and Mrs Henman recently exchanged homes with the previous tenant, meaning they took the property as it is.

“As part of this exchange, Aragon Housing Association agreed to undertake some work in their kitchen.

“After this began it became apparent that the previous tenant had removed part of the chimney breast without Aragon’s permission or knowledge.

“Rectifying this is a complex job due to the chimney being on a party wall which adjoins a private residency next door, meaning we have had to adhere to certain legal requirements.

“On top of this we have had to ensure we got a number of quotes for the work due to the scale, cost and specialist nature of the job.

“We are sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused to Mr and Mrs Henman and are working to get this sorted as soon as possible.”