A disabled couple whose home was damaged by council contractors over three months ago have had repairs made after contacting Caerphilly Observer.
Caerphilly County Borough Council is in the middle of a £2 million energy-saving project with energy provider E.ON, to fit around 320 council homes in the Lansbury Park estate of Caerphilly town with external cladding.
The cladding will help insulate homes and save energy, as well as creating a “palette of different colours” instead of uniform grey, the council said in November last year.
Wayne Jones and his wife Susan, both 67, live in their privately-owned home on Hartshorn Court and were left in disbelief after contractors used their roof to access their next-door neighbour’s home, causing damage in the process.
Mr Jones said: “They broke the guttering and ripped the pipe from the wall as it was sat too close to the original brick.
“On the front of the house, the fascia has been ruined by the scaffolding and walking boards being rammed up against it, so much so that the sealant has been broken.
“Water runs down the wall and has got into our kitchen now. We don’t know what’s up there in the roof, it could just be rotting away.”
The couple, who both suffer with disability and have lived at Hartshorn Court since 1976, spoke of the mental distress the lack of support they received from the council had caused.
Mr Jones added: “We reported it to the council several times but nobody will do anything or take us seriously.
“It’s really getting us down, it’s always on our minds and is a constant worry.
“We’ve been treated with ignorance. We’ve never had trouble with the council before but this is unbelievable. This is privately-owned, and the contractors left such a mess and didn’t repair what they ripped off the wall.
“We’re just tired of the whole situation. It’s a real stress.”
After being contacted by Mr and Mrs Jones, Caerphilly Observer approached Caerphilly County Borough Council for comment.
Two days later, we were re-contacted by the couple, who said the damage had been fixed.
A council spokesman said: “We understand that these issues have now been resolved and we would like to apologise to the homeowners for any inconvenience caused.”