The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Ceiling collapses after mum’s safety concerns
An Angus mum’s ceiling has collapsed more than six months after she first contacted the council fearing the house was unsafe.
Leanne Sims, 35, called her Forfar council house “uninhabitable” in July.
Her bedroom ceiling appeared cracked and bulging, with Leanne blaming an internal leak in the building.
On Tuesday evening, a section of the ceiling came crashing down on to the mum-of-four.
She claims Angus Council failed to repair the ceiling and ignored her requests to move to a more suitable property.
Angus Council did not respond to a request for comment.
Leanne was sitting in her room with her brother and his wife when the ceiling collapsed on top of them, sending plasterboard and insulation flying down into the family home.
The Forfar mum said: “A bit of concrete nearly hit my head, it just missed me.
“And then I took an asthma attack because it collapsed on top of me – my brother had to get my inhaler and calm me down.”
Leanne moved into the house in November 2011 and claims the property was already in a state of disrepair and has worsened ever since.
She says her complaints to Angus Council have fallen on deaf ears and has asked to relocate many times.
She says she is under consideration for another council house; however, past attempts to relocate have been unsuccessful.
“Surely the fact that my ceiling has collapsed would make me a priority,” Leanne added.
“Someone from the council came by to ‘make it safe’ on the night, but their version of making it safe is to rip half of the roof out.”
Leanne’s home is a threebedroom house but the five occupants have shared two bedrooms since issues began with the ceiling.
She said: “I can’t get anywhere with it and I’m at my wits’ end.
“It’s coming up to a year I’ve been on the waiting list for a new place.”
Leanne also fears the area, Glenmoy Terrace, is too dangerous to raise her daughters due to drug abuse, violence and vandalism.
She claims her children have found dirty needles in the shared back garden.
Leanne said: “It’s affected all my kids’ mental health.
“I need to get out of here. I feel like I’m in hell.
“Everywhere I turn, I feel like I just get fobbed off. Something has to give. I don’t know what else to do.”
Workers from Angus Council have since attended the property to patch up the ceiling further with plasterboard.
“A bit of concrete nearly hit my head, it just missed me