News LUCKY ESCAPE
A heavily pregnant woman and her young daughter were left bruised and in shock after the bedroom ceiling of their council house fell in on them.
Zola Brunyee and her partner Aaron Lumley had previously called East Riding of Yorkshire Council inspectors to their property on Seavy Road in Goole after finding cracks in the ceiling.
Zola (21) said: "We had a leak in the roof which dampened all the wallpaper. When we removed it we saw cracks, so we called a council inspector."
The couple were advised by the inspector to fill in the cracks as, he said, it was not worth the council repairing them.
Last Thursday afternoon whilst Zola, who is eight months pregnant, was with her daughter in her bedroom, part of the ceiling collapsed at the point where it was cracked.
"We contacted the council at 5.30pm to report what had happened and they sent out an emergency repair man at 7.30pm whilst I was at hospital," said Zola.
"When I spoke to him afterwards he told me he did not know what the council wanted him to do as he would not have been able to replace the ceiling."
The couple and their daughter felt they were unable to stay in the house that night as dust and fibreglass insulation had spread through their home. They were not offered anywhere to stay by the council until 9pm, after they had made several phone calls to East Riding.
"The next day it took them until 9.45am to get in contact with me, when they open at 9am. They told me they would get someone out to assess the ceiling at 2pm, which I said was not good enough as I didn't have anywhere to go for the day. They eventually agreed to send someone at 11am," said Zola.
When the inspector arrived Zola said he did not touch anything and told her to clean up the mess before the council could sort out the damage.
The couple have since been told that although the council repaired the damage it is accepting no liability for what happened: "We are very pleased with the repair job they have done but they are taking no liability for anything else, like the carpet which I have scrubbed but is still not clean. Also, all the clothes which I had bought for the new baby had to be taken to the laundrette and washed as they were covered in dust. This is a lot to do when you're heavily pregnant," said Zola.
They were also told by a member of staff at the council that it would be safe for 22-month-old Ella to sleep in her bedroom with the hole in the ceiling and before other parts of the ceiling had been checked as there was no alternative accommodation available.
The council have also said they believed the reason the ceiling came through was due to things in the loft and said that the tenancy agreement stated that tenants were prohibited access to the loft.
Zola said: "We have read the agreement and we can't find where it says that. When we moved in there were already heavy boxes in the loft.
"The council's policy and procedures mean that they should remove all the previous tenant's belongings, which they can't have done."
Although the ceiling has now been repaired the family is not happy with the treatment they received from the Council and have made a formal complaint. They have also contacted Goole MP Ian Cawsey to help them get answers.
* A spokesperson for East Riding of Yorkshire Council said: "The ceiling has not 'fallen down'. A small part of it, approximately half a square metre near the loft hatch, has fallen down. The male occupant of the house confirmed he had been in the loft on the morning of the incident.
"Previously, when a pipe leak was reported in February, the council had advised the occupiers not to store certain items in the loft.
"The council is arranging for the ceiling to be checked but has not been able to gain access to the property so far today. The council routinely checks loft spaces when properties are void prior to re-let. In this instance we will agree to revisit the property. To assist the tenants any items in the loft that do not belong to them will be removed.
"The ceiling was previously inspected in May. There were some minor cracks, normal in a house of this age, which were bonded and sealed.
"One of the occupiers of 12 Seavy Road has now made a formal complaint which will be investigated in accordance with the council's normal procedures."
The couple state that they did not agree that Mr Lumley had entered the loft. He had simply opened the hatch and looked in. He had informed the Council that the house would be unoccupied on the days inspectors visited the property, as Miss Brunyee was at hospital.
Published on 17th July 2008 in News.
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