A Salisbury resident who felt he has had to ‘fight every step of the way’ just to be able to return to his property after a burst pipe flooded his home is still in temporary accommodation.
This is despite being told my Wiltshire Council that his home would be ready before the end of May.
Stuart Fitzpatrick, 59 of Barrington Road had been in temporary accommodation at Reindorp Lodge since returning home in January to find his house had flooded. Since then, he has been trying to get repairs completed.
Mr Fitzpatrick said: "The painters and decorators are not due in until Monday, June 12 and the boiler which was deemed safe on Thursday, June 1 stopped working by Friday, June 2.
"The windows still require attention, there is no loft hatch and the kitchen worktop was cut too short and the cupboard door handle was damaged."
Having suffered from chest infections, he had been concerned about the substantial mould in the house and still had not received confirmation that it had been done.
He said: “I need Councillor Ian Williams to put it in writing that they treated the mould in the kitchen before replacing the units. I’m still awaiting that email.”
He was also concerned that the council had replaced doors which he had previously fitted with standard ply doors rather than fitting with the same quality.
Mr Fitzpatrick said: “I am happy now that I am seeing progress, and thanks to the Journal, more has happened in the last week than in the last two months and the communication has improved."
He admitted: "I don’t want the council to rush and cut corners.”
Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr Phil Alford said: “Our housing teams have completed the required repair works at Mr Fitzpatrick’s property. We are also rectifying an issue with the boiler system pressure.
“The property is due to be decorated and while it is commonplace for our teams to decorate while tenants are in situ, Mr Fitzpatrick has elected to not return until the decorating works are complete. The re-decoration will commence from 12 June and will take approximately five days.
“We appreciate that this has been a challenging time but are pleased to confirm that Mr Fitzpatrick will be able to return to his home once the decorating is complete.”
When the council's statement was put to Mr Fitzpatrick, he denied that he had been offered the chance to return to his property.
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