'My family was forced out our home after the ceiling collapsed on my son's head'
One family was forced to leave their home after the ceiling collapsed on one of the children’s heads.
Amanda Bilal-Jones said her home was blighted by flooding for months. This culminated in her son running in fear “screaming” after a bedroom ceiling collapsed on him.
The 62-year-old said she reported the flooding to Onwards Homes but water damage left her bedroom uninhabitable - leaving her son sleeping on the sofa, as she took over his bedroom.
But the housing group has now temporarily moved the family out in order to carry out repairs, after they said a bird's nest caused a blockage, leading to damage.
Amanda said her home has suffered from flooding for months (Patrick Graham/Liverpool ECHO)Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Amanda said: "I reported more leaks to Onward Homes on December 28. They told me no one would be out until January 5 (2023) due to Xmas and New Year holidays.
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"On the 5th they said they could not carry out the work as there’s only one workman, and it needed two, one to hold the ladder and he was out at another job. They made further arrangements to complete the work on the 11th.
"It was established water was again coming from the guttering as reported by a roofer, who made a report on an emergency call out. The water was coming into my bedroom in buckets full".
Her son Doyle, 25, added: "We had a big bin to collect the leaks. It's like a big shower, it may as well be raining in the room.
“I was there with the mop bucket holding the water, running downstairs, putting it in the bath and running back and repeating.
The ceiling collapsed inside the mum and son's top bedroom (Patrick Graham/Liverpool ECHO)"Today the whole ceiling came caving in on the back of my neck and shoulders. I didn’t know what was going on and ran out screaming. It was scary.
"No one is getting to the bottom of what's happening as we keep getting people coming out and doing little fiddly things. They're not actually getting to grips with whatever it is".
Amanda said she has taken legal action regarding Onwards Homes.
She added that she was left with a hole in her bedroom ceiling and fungi growing on her walls.
The conditions caused her constant stress and left her struggling to sleep at night.
Along with the loss and damage she said about, Amanda said her house now smells due to the damp.
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Water marks on the outside of Amanda's home as a result of the flooding (Patrick Graham/Liverpool ECHO)She said: "I’m so embarrassed by the conditions I'm reluctant to invite friends and relatives to visit”.
Back in August 2022, Amanda claims she was temporarily rehoused while repairs were carried out, but she said that the repairs did not solve the problem.
The mum said she feels unsafe and fears there will be "further collapses in a home she has lived in for over 20 years".
She said past flooding had occurred with repairs by previous landlords, Liverpool Housing Trust, who amalgamated into Onward Homes Limited in 2018.
A spokesperson for Onward Homes said: "The ceiling in Amanda’s home has been made safe and she’s been offered temporary accommodation whilst we carry out a thorough investigation and repair.
“Amanda’s home tends to suffer from blocked gutters, so we do monitor and clear the gutters regularly. In this case, it seems a bird nesting in the chimney stack created a temporary blockage that resulted in water backing up and causing damage.
“We apologise for any distress this has caused, and we’re in touch with Amanda to understand what support she needs in the meantime”.
This time Amanda hopes the repairs will be adequate to prevent a repeat of the flooding.
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