A LEAKY and damp wall is making a Southampton man "paranoid" about letting his three-year-old daughter into their kitchen.
Edward Lydiate, from Weston, is up in arms at the state of his flat in Olso Towers with damp walls and a draught coming from the windows.
The 30-year-old lives with his girlfriend, 23, and her three-year-old daughter.
The couple has been renovating their council-owned flat on the ninth floor - but has been interrupted by the constant water leaks coming through their kitchen window.
Edward says the "deafening whistle" and the "constant rattling" of his kitchen window on windy days has left him suffering sleepless nights.
As well as that, on rainy days he has to line up towels beside the walls as water leaks into the flat leaving the kitchen floor covered in rainwater.
READ MORE: PHOTOS: Inside Southampton's weirdest council flat
Speaking to the Echo, Edward said: "The draught that comes through the wall under the window is actually unreal, you can sometimes put a candle where the window is and the draught will blow out the candle, and it's a deafening whistle which just stops me from sleeping at night.
"When it’s raining, we have to line up towels on the window before we head out so that the towels soak up the water."
He fears that with the coming winter and rising energy bills it just won't be worth turning on the heating.
He said: "With the winter now, the cost of heating is going up and I don’t see the point of turning on the heating because we’ll be fighting a losing battle against the current that comes through the hallway and makes the whole flat cold."
"We have a three-year-old that we feel paranoid about letting near the kitchen window because they’re really unsafe."
He's having to put towels between the wall and the fridge to stop any water from going near the electronics.
The couple has tried to raise the issue with Southampton City Council but they say any time an engineer is sent to their house, no solution is ever found.
Edward said: "I don’t need them to do anything to the property I just need someone to come and tell me what the issue and I’ll fix it."
A spokesperson for Southampton City Council said: "We are aware of this issue; our maintenance colleagues have visited the property in the past and two follow-up appointments are scheduled in the coming weeks.
"The best way for council home maintenance issues to be addressed is for residents to contact us directly, by visiting southampton.gov.uk/repairs, where emergency contact details and self-help guides can also be found".
READ NEXT: Mum 'desperate' as house teems with bed bugs for more than a year
A message from the Editor
Thank you for reading this article - we appreciate your support in reading the Daily Echo.
Subscribing to the Echo means you have unrestricted access to the latest news, features and Saints coverage - all with an advertising-light website.
You will also have full access to Saintsplus, your new home for Southampton FC tactical analysis, features and much, much more.
Don't just take my word for it - subscribe today.
Follow the latest breaking news in the Southampton area by searching Southampton News - Breaking News and Incidents on Facebook
Follow the latest court and crime news on our dedicated group by searching Hampshire Court and Crime News on Facebook
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel