Reading mother forced to use bin bag to secure window left broken from 'mouldy rotting wood'

A Reading mother has been forced to resort to using a bin bag to secure a broken window at her flat.

Rochelle Bennett lives in Oxford Road with her one-year-old son, and daughters aged 12 and seven.

Problems for the family began when a window panel fell out reportedly as a result of the wood around the window rotting due to dampness and mould.

Ms Bennett tried to get the housing association Metropolitan Thames Valley to resolve the issue, but has been unable to get the window fixed.

She said she has had to resort to securing the missing window panel using a bin bag.

Ms Bennett said: "My son is ill with a respiratory problem, this is my last resort, I don't know what to do.

"It's disgusting. I've lived here for 12 years and finally, it's broken and nothing's being done."

The loss of the window panel meant Ms Bennett needed to use her gas heating and electric fire much more to keep the family warm.

She said "I have to have them on all the time. I spent £60 on gas in four days. The window is broken and it's freezing. I can't win.

"The problem is the window ideally needs to be open because of the dampness and mould.

"The panel got so damp, the wood crumbled and the window fell out. It's an ongoing issue that's just being ignored."

Ms Bennett claims to have struggled to get hold of Metropolitan Thames Valley and the contractors due to being busy working as a healthcare assistant for the NHS.

She said" "My kids go to three different places and then I've got to go to work. I tried to chase them but no one is doing anything."

She added that she received a sick note from the doctor who signed her off from work to give her time to get the issue sorted.

Ms Bennett said: "Living here is stressing me out. I'm needed, but it's too much to take on, I can't even do my job with this stress."

The desperate mother raised the issue to the Local Democracy Reporting Service in January and it is understood that the window had to be secured using a bin bag for over a week.

The housing association has said it is in the process of resolving the complicated issue.

A Metropolitan Thames Valley spokesperson said: "Ms Bennett rightly expects to live in a warm and dry home.

"As such, we are working to make sure that her window is fully repaired as soon as possible.

"After Ms Bennett reported that a repair was required, we quickly boarded up the window as an emergency measure.

"We then visited again soon after to take measurements for a replacement window.

"However, on inspection, it was clear that this was not a straightforward job and the damage to the window's timber frame requires a specialist contractor to repair the frame and replace the glazing.

"It is therefore taking longer than Ms Bennett had hoped to repair the window, but we want to do a good job, and the work is expected to be completed on 23 February.

"We were not aware of any issue of mould in Ms Bennett's home. We take all instances of dampness and mould very seriously.

"We have arranged to visit Ms Bennett at her home (Friday 17 February) to carry out an inspection.

"Any treatment required to remove mould will be carried out as quickly as possible.

"We understand that this has been an uncertain and difficult period for Ms Bennett and we will continue to work with her to ensure that these issues are resolved."

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