Knackered ceilings, brown 'gunge' and bowed walls - inside 'patched up' flats where tenants are furious

They're tired of waiting for work to be carried out

Residents in a complex of 30 flats in Bolton have petitioned the chief executive of a housing association amid claims of delays in repairs to their properties - which they say are often ‘patch-up jobs’.

Some 20 people who live in the flats on Maldwyn Avenue, Morris Green, have signed the petition saying they are tired of waiting months for work to be carried out.

In one of the buildings - Pollard House - a steel acrow prop has been holding up the ceiling on the landing outside 80-year-old Sandra Hamer’s flat since October 2024, she says.

"Three or four times it has rained in and appears to have weakened the ceiling," she added. "No one will account to who will do a repair. It seems to be a quick patch up job with no rectification."

The cause of the residents has been taken up by tenant Susan Mulcahey, 72, who also lives in Pollard House with her husband Patrick, 71, a retired builder.

Susan has sent a covering letter and petition to the Anchor housing association's chief executive Sarah Jones. In their own flat, the couple complained of ‘brown gunge’ backing up into the shower.

“At first, a drainage company came out to flush through and clear the blockage, but the comments on their report suggested the cause was that the fall on the pipe from the sink was incorrect," she said.

“This was in 2024, and the report was sent to the surveyor. To date, nothing has been done. On April 28, this year, it happened again. Another company came out to clear the problem, and they said the same thing - the fall on the pipe is causing the backlog.”

Pauline Edge, 62, claimed an internal wall in her flat in Pollard House came away and was bowed.

“This was reported on December 24, and it is still the same,” she added. “I have had to sit in my flat, not knowing whether the wall is going to fall down.

“Every time the gentleman upstairs walks around, or even drops something on the floor, this causes sand to fall down between the plaster.”

Belinda Makin, 66, lives in Egham House and suffers from COPD and asthma, relying on oxygen to breathe. “Black mould has contributed to my bad health, but no decision has been made over how this will be rectified,” she said. “The surveyor said there was no damp.”

James Sharples and Samantha Walsh, 59 and 55, live in Hanover House. The tiles in their bathroom were stripped after a leak was found underneath.

“It took them two months to come,” James said. "Instead of replacing the tiles, they replaced them with a plastic board. All this was over a period of about nine months.”

One woman in Pollard House complained that her living room wall had damp patches following heavy rain earlier this year. "I believe this was because the gutters have never been cleaned in years, and this is causing the problem,” she said.

“I made another call to report a damp patch on my kitchen ceiling, which is drying out, but the cause has not been inspected.”

Another resident suffered a flood in her kitchen, caused by a washing machine. Susan says this issue has occurred in several flats in the complex.

“We believe this is because machines have not been plumbed in correctly,” she said. “These kitchens have never been checked following reports of incorrect plumbing.”

Jade Cutler, Anchor’s area manager for the Maldwyn Avenue properties, said: “We are very sorry for the delays experienced by our residents.

"All the matters raised are being dealt with and we are working hard to resolve any outstanding repairs as quickly as possible.

"The matters relating to damp and mould have been investigated and resolved. The well-being of our residents is of paramount importance to us.”