Family left without a bathroom

6:00pm Sunday 20th July 2008

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A FAMILY of seven were left without a bathroom for a week and without a workable kitchen for two months after a Worcester Community Housing blunder.

Adam Talbot and his partner Lisa Burford were excited when their home was ear-marked for the compulsory upgrade scheme.

But builders left a trail of destruction, forcing them to eat out and use the local swimming pool showers, and leaving their home “ruined”.

“They walked into my home and treated it like a builders’ yard but I live here, my home is ruined,” Mr Talbot said. The work started on Monday, April 28, when a demolition team arrived to rip out the kitchen and bathroom.

The couple, who live with their five children in Coventry Avenue, St John’s, Worcester, were told it would take 17 days to complete all the work. They were told the bath would be re-installed on the same day and kitchen plumbed back so they could use it. But after seven days the family were still without a bath.

They had a toilet and basin, but were forced to go to Lower Wick swimming pool every day to use the showers.

Mr Talbot, who works as a steward at Worcestershire Cricket club, used the showers at work.

The kitchen was out of order for two months so they set up a table in their 11-month-old daughter’s bedroom to prepare and sterilise her bottles, and put a microwave in the living room.

Mr Talbot said: “We did have savings we could use, but now I have to explain to my children we cannot have a holiday because all the money we had went on eating out.”

Mr Talbot, aged 38, claims the builders failed to finish jobs, forcing him to take days off work to put them right.

His 31-year-old partner, who works at the Co-op, St John’s, has had to see the doctor due to stress.

Despite raising the issues with Worcester Community Housing (WCH) and building firm Connaught, nothing was done.

After being contacted by your Worcester News, WCH and Connaught staff visited Mr Talbot to discuss the issues.

Stewart Mountfield, WCH chief executive, said: “My sincere apologies to Mr Talbot and his family for the problems they have encountered during their home improvement work.

“Some aspects of the work have taken far too long to complete. We are now working with our contractors and in-house repairs team to make sure the work is completed as quickly as possible.”

Connaught’s partnership manager, Alan Bolton, said they are working to rectify the issues.