Mum fears for family as cracks appear in walls

A MUM says she has been “living a nightmare” after mystery cracks appeared in the walls of her home, and the ceiling in her children’s bedroom began to bulge.

Sima Khan said she noticed something was wrong with her house in Coleman Road, North Evington, a few weeks ago, when fractures appeared on the walls and around the doors and windows.

She said Leicester City Council sent out a plasterer, a carpenter and a representative from Severn Trent in quick succession, but they could not identify what was wrong.

Miss Khan, a mum of four, all aged under 12, said her concerns increased when she heard a thump in the loft.

“My children were playing downstairs and I went up to pray,” she said. “I heard a loud crack and I went running.

“I could see what looked like a big square thing pushing down on the ceiling. So I called the emergency services. Someone came out within half-an-hour.”

She said the man found the old, decommissioned water tank had tipped over and was pressing on the ceiling above where her three and six-year-old sleep.

The tank was moved to a more secure spot, but the ceiling distortion and cracks remain, leaving Miss Khan fearful for her and her children’s safety, because she has still not been told what has caused the problems.

She said, in her view, this amounted to a “breach of duty of care”.

The council did not respond to that allegation specifically when asked about it by the Mercury.

“I haven’t been able to sleep for a week, I hear a crack and I’m up thinking we need to get out of the house,” Miss Khan said.

“I don’t have a choice but to stay. I have nowhere else to go.”

A spokesman for the council said: “We have received a formal complaint from this resident, which is being dealt with through the appropriate channels.

“We have inspected the property and the ceilings were found to be safe but in need of repairs to remedy cracks in the plaster.

“There is an empty and out-of-use storage tank in the loft. This is common in properties that have had their boilers upgraded.

“The tank had been displaced from its base and was re-sited. There is no reason to think this presented any structural risk.

“We will meet again with the resident to agree a schedule of work and offer her reassurance her concerns are being fully addressed.”

OLD WATER TANK FELL, CAUSING BULGE IN CEILING ABOVE WHERE TWO CHILDREN SLEEP