A 63 year old Gateshead resident claims she has endured years of issues with cracks throughout the walls in her home.
Margaret Lowe has lived in Hillside, Blaydon upon Tyne, since December 2011. However after several years since moving in, she complained to the council regarding cracks emerging throughout her property. Ms Lowe claims an uneven wall to the side of the building is the root of the problem.
The council has been to the house on several occasions over the years, but Margaret claims the cracks still persist.
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“There’s cracks all the way round the bungalow, cold air comes in my sitting room, it's pointless having the heating on because when I come in, I can’t feel it in the sitting room. I sit with blankets on me”, Margaret said.
“I don't go out the back door now, I just use the front door because the wall being the way it is, the gate is coming away from the wall and I have to keep the gate locked.
“It’s just getting us stressed out now, my garden is a mess, I can't get it sorted until the wall is sorted. I want to get the kitchen decorated but I can't because it’s full of cracks. Even my bathroom ceiling has cracks in it. I have visions of it caving in on me when I am in the bath”.
Margaret, who sometimes looks after her eight year old grandson, won’t allow him to leave the house by the back door for fear of an accident.
A council spokesperson said: “The tenant first contacted us in 2017 regarding a crack between her outside path and gable wall. A surveyor attended and the crack was filled on 22 December 2017.
“The tenant contacted us again in July 2018 regarding cracks to walls and ceilings. We attended on 18 August 2018 and repaired the cracks.
“The customer then contacted us in February 2022 regarding further cracks. A building surveyor has attended and we have arranged an asbestos survey prior to the repair works proceeding. Following this, details of the required works will be passed to our delivery team to order materials and appoint dates.
“Ms Lowe will be contacted within the next four weeks with dates for the repair work, although this may be sooner as it has been assigned as a priority. There have been no other repair requests other than those mentioned above, and we have responded on each occasion”.
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