A Leeds mum has been living a "nightmare" since discovering a large crack in her home that turned out to mean it is sinking.
Jenny Jopson, 36, has had multiple engineers and surveyors out to her council house in Little London since she first discovered the crack two years ago when the ground beneath a building begins to sink. She says they've all confirmed the problem is subsidence.
Already living on shifting ground, the growing crack was only the start of the problems for single mum Jenny, who has lived in the house for nearly 14 years. In June this year, she discovered another crack near the gas meter - and when an engineer came round to look at it, he discovered a bent gas pipe running into the house.
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Care home worker Jenny and her nine-year-old daughter were evacuated by Leeds City Council into a hotel in June for two weeks. Jenny elected to come back to the house after that time because she said it was difficult for the mum and daughter staying in a hotel.
The two are now living in the house without gas, trying to find a solution about where to live when work begins on the home.
"I'm just a single parent working and dealing with all of this," Jenny told LeedsLive. "It's really stressful having this happen to my home.
"No one would have their family in this situation - the house is unliveable. It's been a nightmare."
Engineers have fitted an electric shower while the gas is off and provided three electric heaters. The council are paying £20 a week to help with the increased electricity bills.
However, Jenny said it's by no means enough. Jenny and her daughter are using the shower or boiling the kettle to get hot water whenever they need to wash dishes or their hands, and Jenny says her bills have gone from £60 a week to £96 a week, and she continues to pay £123 a week in rent.
Their access to the garden via the back door porch area has also been sealed off for safety as that is where the cracks are concentrated.
Jenny adds that work was supposed to start two weeks ago to begin investigating the foundations of the house, but had to be delayed due to a machinery issue. She is looking for somewhere to live when the extensive part of the works begin, but has struggled to find somewhere where she can get to work and get her daughter to school.
"It's the not knowing what's going on that has been hardest," Jenny said. "We don't even know if we'll be able to come back here ever because it needs that much doing to it.
"My daughter is segregating herself from playing at school because it's been stressful for her. I'm struggling to put on a happy face for her because I want to break down crying all the time."
Jenny has been frustrated with her communication from the council, and has complained. She has also gone to the Housing Ombudsman with her case, and is waiting to hear back.
One of Jenny's friends, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "The anxiety and stress this has caused her as a single mother is awful. While she's doing a job and providing for her daughter she has to come home to a house that is sinking.
"The work needs to be done. She's been trying to sort this for a long time.
"It's all well and good for engineers to come round and look but when they go she's been left with it. It's not her fault and it needs to be sorted."
A spokesperson for Leeds City Council said: "We have apologised to Ms Jopson for the inconvenience caused due to us having to resolve structural issues at her home and we are working with a structural engineer and our partner contractor, to establish a permanent solution.
"The complexity of the problem has brought us some challenges however our investigation into the problems is now well underway. We have offered the tenant our full support around her needs throughout this distressing time and provided temporary facilities to enable her to move back into her home as quickly as possible.”
