A MUM OF FOUR has revealed her kids can’t play outside after her garden gate was damaged for months – and the housing association has yet to fix it.
Ellesse Walters, 31, says the damage to the fence has exposed nails, allowing strangers to even wander into her yard, meaning she’s too scared to let her kids play outside.
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Ms. Walters, who is currently unemployed, says she reported the problem to the PA Housing Association but they have consistently failed to repair the damage.
Ellesse said of the situation: “It’s just emotionally devastating when you try to solve it, and it’s for the kids too. You have to be so careful when they go into the yard, and if they escape, the front of the house.” is like a parking lot.”
“I’m mad at the kids, they should be able to be kids and play safely outside in the yard. I went to PA Housing to come and fix it, but I’ve just been ignored” she went on to say .
PA Housing has apologized and promised to repair the damage.
She and her four children have lived in a substandard two-bedroom house for over 11 years.
She has one bedroom, while her eleven-year-old son, six-year-old twin boys and four-year-old daughter all have to squeeze into the others.
Earlier this year, storms caused severe damage to the garden fence, leaving dangerous nails and broken panels.
At one point, one of her children even got out over the ruined gate to the busy road next to the property.
Ellesse also says this isn’t the first problem she has with the housing association, as overgrown trees cover the back of the yard and drop branches.
Despite being reported about a year ago, the trees have still not been cut, as have delays in repairs to a toilet leaking into the kitchen.
Even when the toilet was repaired, the floor had to be ripped open for it, leaving Ellesse’s house in disarray.
A spokesperson for PA Housing said: “We apologize for the ongoing problem with the fencing in our resident’s yard – she should not have waited so long for it to be repaired. We are taking this matter very seriously and will be contacting a representative shortly. date and time from our local contractor to resolve this issue”.
He insisted, however, that PA wasn’t entirely to blame, adding: “Since she moved in with her, our resident’s family has grown; so while she didn’t originally live in overcrowded conditions, she has we do now. We know she has been actively looking to move, and we are doing everything we can to support her in this.”
Ellesse remains unconvinced, saying “I’ve tried to explain that to PA Housing as well, but they don’t seem to bother”.
“I’ve been told I can’t be moved because of my lease. I just want to be able to move for my family.”
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