Misery for Gosport tower block residents living under plastic for nearly a year

Residents of five tower blocks in Gosport have been living under sheets of heavy duty plastic for almost a year, while work is carried out to replace cladding.

It was installed following safety inspections following the Grenfell Tower blaze.

It means residents have not been able to open their windows or see outside.

Hyde Housing Association said the buildings' cladding was safe but is being upgraded.

When the plastic sheeting went up in June 2018, residents were told it would be removed by January 2019.

However it is not likely to be completed until January 2020.

Since filming, Hyde Housing Association have begun to cut some holes around residents' windows to allow daylight back in as part of rolling work across the five tower blocks.

However older residents in the flats say the scaffolding and sheeting exacerbates any health issues they have.

In a statement, Hyde Housing Association said: "We are sorry for the disruption but resident safety is our priority. We have now removed the cladding and are replacing it with a safer alternative. We are using plastic sheets because they provide better protection against the elements and keeps the building warmer than mesh would during this work."

• Watch Chloe Oliver's full report below