Mum and daughter say they were left without a shower for four months at their home at Bakewell Court, Balderton by Newark and Sherwood District Council

A mum and daughter who were left without a functional shower for four months feel have hit out at council bosses, saying they were first ignored and then only offered a small amount of compensation for their stressful ordeal.

The two women – who wish to remain anonymous – finally moved into a temporary property on October 29 this year having had a long-running issue with Newark and Sherwood District Council over their home in Bakewell Court, Balderton.

Two years ago, a leak affecting the duo’s house was said to be repaired by the council – but the leak didn’t stop.

This year, mould on the walls downstairs got worse, which led council workers to return to the property.

On July 24, the home’s bathtub was removed as the leak had now caused structural damage to the property, including the downstairs of the property.

“They offered communal showers, which we would have to travel to, accumulating fuel cost – and the extra stress and inconvenience of using public showers in a care home - whilst also working long hours and being restricted,” said the daughter.

Initially, the council said the repair would take three to five days, which then changed to a couple of months after assessing the situation further.

They said they were promised compensation and then waited until they were referred to the relevant person to deal with the situation.

“I have tried to chase this relevant person multiple times as I only got a name and they would not give contact details. I chased since before September 25, and no one has got back to me and everything was ignored.

“The stress of having to contact the council to try and get housing concerns addressed whilst also both of us working full-time jobs has been so difficult.

“It is a moral responsibility for the council to provide us with compensation for not having basic bath facilities in a home, we have been stressing this by constantly contacting them and them ignoring us and making us look like fools.”

They say they have now received £200 compensation from the district council – which they felt was a poor figure considering the lack of proper bathing facilities for four months.

The tenants kept paying full rent despite having been moved to the temporary property in October and claim to not have been taught how to transfer bill payments from one property to the other.

The move was not the end of their issues, however, as the boiler at the temporary accommodation was not working properly and they were left without a functional shower for an extra three days.

The 23-year-old woman said: “They told me they are doing too much for us and it’s a favour by moving us out, painting the rooms, and paying for removals, which they wouldn’t do for any other tenants.

“I thought that was very rude, these tasks are a basic need for any council tenant to be in a safe and comfortable environment.

“I do appreciate the effort they made for moving us out, but the compensation is one of the most important parts as we have suffered by paying full rent without basic bathing facilities - and our bathroom looking like a construction site – for nearly four months.

“They have put us through extreme distress and for someone to be diagnosed with anxiety disorder it is really putting me at risk of harm now.

“To move back again with all our belongings and moving of furniture is extremely unfair.

“To do it once is stressful, but twice within a few months is too much.”

The district council said that GDPR rules meant they could not comment on the specifics of the case.

Councillor Lee Brazier, portfolio holder for housing, said: “We will contact tenants who are having major repairs done and ensure they are satisfied with the service and if not address those matters as quickly as possible.

“I would like to reassure all our tenants, that if anyone has any concerns with our service, please do contact us. It is difficult for us to do anything if we don’t know about their individual concerns.”

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