Coatbridge resident blasts council over flooded flat

Mar 17 2010 by Ian Bunting, Airdrie & Coatbridge

Mark Rankin

A COATBRIDGE man and North Lanarkshire Council are at loggerheads over a flooded flat.

Mark Rankin (32), claims the council response to his flooded home at 34 Witchwood Court tower flats has been a complete washout.

However, the council say that they’ve tried to repair the flat only to find no-one home when staff have been sent to the Coatbridge location.

The problem arose when the flat above Mark, which is now empty, flooded due to a burst water tank.

The water is leaking down into his flat, causing dampness and rotting walls.

Mark said: “This has been going on for six to eight months and I’ve not been able to stay in the flat for the last two weeks.

“I have a two-year-old boy, Luca, and I don’t want him staying there. We’ve been staying at my mum’s.”

Mark says that he’s reported the matter three or four times and is disappointed with the lack of council action.

He said: “A few times I’ve got a call saying people were coming out to inspect and fix the flat and I’ve been at my mum’s and told them I’d be there in 10 minutes.

“When I got down to my flat there was no-one there.”

A council spokesman said: “Before we carry out any work it is essential that we are able to assess the extent of the repairs needed, but despite several attempts to gain entry, at times agreed to suit our tenant, he has not been there to let us in to his property.

“We eventually managed to gain entry on Wednesday,March 10, and hope to have all the repairs completed by the end of next week.”

The damage to Mark’s flat is vast and he goes on to describe the long list of problems he has encountered.

He said: “You can poke your finger through parts of the wall and cupboards are hanging off the walls.

“There are actually mushrooms growing in the wall and my laminated floor was completely ruined.

“My cooker blew after water dripped into it and I’ve had to put my fridge and furniture into storage.”

Mark added: “I can’t stay here. I can’t stand the dampness and keep getting sore heads and throats, which I think is caused by the damp.

“The quicker I get out of here, or get the problem resolved, the better.”