LIVING IN UNSAFE HOUSE IS KILLING ME
Dad, who suffered stroke only three weeks ago, is scared to have son in his home
A disabled Paisley dad in a year- long fight with council bosses to fix severe water damage is scared to have his young son in his house after a brick fell from his bathroom ceiling.
William Cameron, who suffered a stroke just three weeks ago, has been fighting with Renfrewshire Council to fix dampness and a gaping hole in his bathroom ceiling for over a year.
The dad-of-one - who also has Crohn’s Disease - says the situation at his home in Paisley’s Blackstoun Oval has become so dangerous he is afraid to have his threeyear-old child in his house.
The damage in the bathroom – which was caused by water leaking from a waste pipe in property above – is regularly tripping the 46-year-old’s electricity.
William is also awaiting a life-changing operation to help manage his condition but now fears for his health due to the state of the
property.
“This is draining the life out of me,” William told the Express.
“All I want to do is spend time with my son but I can’t even have him in my house.
“A brick fell from the ceiling and I am too scared to have him in the house in case he gets hurt.
“My health is deteriorating and this is just making it worse.
“I’m waiting on an operation and if I get it, I have to come back here and live with a wound that I need to keep clean.
“How am I supposed to do that here?”
William says the saga began prior to the covid pandemic last year and despite numerous attempts to contact the housing department, no repairs have been carried out.
Six months ago, he says the council sent him to stay in a hotel for five days in which he thought the work would be done.
However, when he returned, only debris was removed from the house leaving the ceiling in the same condition.
He claims to have had numerous phone calls and visits from housing officers, with workmen sent to inspect the property.
While the year-long fight has been ongoing, William says his health has been deteriorating rapidly, having been admitted to hospital roughly 50 times in the last year.
He regularly undergoes gruelling treatments and courses of medication to manage his condition, which has left him being unable to eat for weeks.
And just three weeks ago he suffered a stroke and has now been left with limited movement on his left side.
He added: “I feel like this is killing me.
“It’s just going on and on and nothing is being done.
“They are trying to tell me that this house is liveable but it is ridiculous.
“An inspector came out on Monday and couldn’t give me any kind of update at all. It’s just not good enough.
“They are making me out like I’m an idiot.
“How can anyone look at the state of it and think it is safe for me to be in?”
The frustrated dad - who has lived at the property for nine years - relies on benefits as he is unable to work, and also says he has been left penniless as a result of the damage.
He added: “I am now at the stage where I am having to contact foodbanks as I fill up my fridge and then the electricity keeps tripping due to the water coming in and I have to throw so much out.
“I am also spending as much time as I can out the house as I just can’t be here which is costing me money I don’t have. “I shouldn’t be living like this.” A Renfrewshire Council spokesperson said: “We apologise for the time taken to resolve the issues at this address but can reassure Mr Cameron these will be fixed as soon as possible. Our officers had previously tried to visit the property on more than one occasion but had been unable to get access to the flat. They visited the property again this week and this time were able to carry out an inspection.
“We are aware of the issues with water ingress from the flat above and have taken steps to access the adjacent flat to stop the source of the leak.
“In terms of Mr Cameron’s flat we will make all necessary repairs, including checking the electrics, checking for any rot, and carrying out any repairs needed to the walls and ceilings.”