Left in the lurch after flat leak

Jane Edwards, and her 87-year-old disabled sister Helen, have been living off biscuits and crisps after having to leave their housing association flat in Potton while repairs are carried out.

Aragon Housing, the landlords of their property on New Town, Potton, have moved them to a room in Quince Court sheltered housing in Sandy while the flat is being patched up.

But Miss Edwards, 60, says they have not been given access to a kitchen so they have been unable to cook forthemselves.

And she slammed the housing association after it told her she would have to pay for the damage to her property through her insurance, even though the damage was caused through no fault of her own.

“We heard dripping in the bathroom and found water coming through,” said Miss Edwards, who has been a tenant with her sister at the flat since 1991.

“The fire brigade were called and were there for three hours as the bathroom ceiling was in danger of collapse.

“My sister Helen is very upset about all this and Aragon has not helped us at all.

“The flat absolutely stinks and we are really stressed out.

“We haven’t got oodles of money as I’m having to care for my sister.

“I’m getting very angry, frustrated and upset.”

And she claimed a further call out to Aragon’s emergency helpline on Wednesday, when an emergency light in the bathroom would not turn off after she had visited the property with a plumber, took six hours before she got a response.

The electrician, she said, was then sent to the wrong address.

A spokesman for Grand Union Housing which runs Aragon Housing said: “Mrs Edwards called our emergency out of hours repairs line on Sunday evening to say that water was coming into their flat from a burst pipe in the flat above.

“Our team worked hard and arranged for the fire brigade, Red Cross and Aragon’s emergency call out operative to attend the property as soon as possible.

“Within two hours we had found them temporary accommodation which we informed them they could stay in for as long as was needed and for which they are not being charged. 

“We are working on the property now to ensure Mrs Edwards and her mother [sic]can return as soon as possible.

“We always advise our customers to take out home contents insurance so they are covered for situations such as this.