Woman felt a drip on her forehead in bathroom but was horrified at what she saw

01 February 2024 , 20:16

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Celia Hand is hoping to get her bathroom power back on after a nightmare ordeal (Image: Edinburgh live)

A woman struggling to get electricity back in her bathroom said the trouble began during a horrifying incident where something dripped on her head.

Celia Hand, 60, had to deal with a ceiling leak numerous times, but said an incident on December 8 was the worst one yet. The 60-year-old, who lives alone, has since said she felt a "huge basketball of water" land on her head in a devastating moment that left her without power in the lavatory. No bathroom lighting is working and until the ceiling has dried, no repairs can be made. Now, Celia is having to shower in the dark as the issue has not yet been resolved.

Major problems will only be able to be fixed if her upstairs neighbour switches off their water

Celia believes the council is "lying to her" about the amount of work needed on the property as it reportedly claimed the home above hers, a purchased property, is the reason it's unable to make too many changes. Speaking to EdinburghLive, Celia said: "I was washing my hands in the sink in the bathroom and I felt a drip on my head and I looked up and there was this huge basketball of water above me, it honestly looked like the ceiling was going to come down.

"When I phoned repairs direc,t they said they would have to burst the ball of water so that it doesn't pull down the ceiling. I got my son to come round right away and burst it so that we could catch the water in a bucket and it's been constantly leaking since then. I am at a loss as to what I can do. The council are saying they can't do anything about it because the property above me is bought and when I have contacted plumbers they also say there is nothing they can do about it either until the ceiling is dry."

For the repairs to be carried out her upstairs neighbour would need to turn off their hot water and allow for the ceiling to dry, she said. But it is not just the bathroom in need of repair, with a fuse going just a short while after the incident when the bathroom light was turned on. Celia added: "My neighbour above was reportedly told to switch off his water last week by the council as far as I believe so that the drip can stop but I have no idea if this has happened yet or not.

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Celia's bathroom has been in a state for some time, but now the power is off (Edinburgh live)

"I just really need the council to do something about it. My light in my bathroom has had to be taken away and the wires have had to be wrapped so that they don’t get wet. A few weeks ago, when I turned the switch on to turn the light on in the bathroom, the whole house blew so I had to tape the switch so that nobody would touch it. The electrician has told me that my light can’t go back up until the ceiling is dry so right now I am having to use my wet room in complete darkness. I haven’t had any light in there for about three weeks now."

After just four weeks of living in the home, Celia was dealing with bathroom bother. Moving into the property back in 2021, the long-running issue has left a mark, with the 60-year-old recalling the worst incident of all. She said: "When I first moved in, I used to think it was raining in my bathroom it was that bad, however the flood on December 8 has been the worst one yet purely based off the basketball size of water that was above my head. I honestly thought it was going to drown me.

"I have been ill the past couple weeks with the flu which I think is down to the stress of it all. It’s just been too long and it’s been months now of trying to get something done about it. It's just been very tiring and I feel like nothing is being done urgently."

Cllr Jane Meagher, Housing Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: "I understand how difficult this must be for the tenant and she has my full sympathy. We always strive to make sure our tenants live in comfortable homes without any issues. Our property team were having difficulties accessing the flat above to identify the cause however I’ve been informed today that they are carrying out emergency repairs and we have updated the tenant."

Ewan Gleadow