'I'm scared to sleep at night in case the ceiling comes down.'
A man has been left feeling on edge after his ceiling started to sag so much the lampshade started touching his head.
Bryan Iveson, 60, noticed problems soon after moving into the flat in Driffield, East Riding of Yorkshire, in November 2020.
Small marks developed into cracks which Wakfield District Housing (WDH) – which the flat is rented out by – blamed on ‘settlement cracks’.
They continued to grow and within 18 months the ceiling had to be held up by steel ‘acrow’ props.
Bellway, the company which built the flat, said it would take immediate action to fix the problem.
But Bryan has been left worried it could cave in: ‘I’m scared to sleep at night in case the ceiling comes down.
‘Both me and my wife have serious health problems and it’s another stress that we don’t need, but I’ve reached tipping point and I just want out of this situation.’
Bryan said a plasterer visited three weeks ago and was surprised by the state of the ceiling, which appeared to be ‘floating’ on the edge of the walls.
He said: ‘I understand that things can go wrong in properties, but I didn’t expect this from a new-build. Bellway even sent out a subcontractor to me yesterday, but they were as shocked as me and are coming back to cut more holes so they can try to rehang the ceiling frame.’
Bryan said the sagging ceiling covers all three rooms in his property, and he was worried the damage would only get worse.
He added: ‘It’s so unnerving being in this house – it’s like walking on a tightrope between a bridge and building.’
Bryan went on: ‘My wife’s got a bad heart and I’m falling apart with my physical conditions.
‘So much is going wrong in my life that a falling ceiling is the last thing I need especially as I’m waiting to hear about a spinal operation.’
Bellway said in a statement: ‘Bellway is sorry to hear of the issue relating to the ceiling at a property at Welbourn Gardens. We were first alerted to this issue last week when Wakefield District Housing Association contacted us and have taken immediate action in response.
‘A contractor attended the property on Monday (April 3) to assess the situation and remedial works are due to be completed by Thursday (April 6). The plastering contractor who installed the ceiling confirmed that the issue was caused by failure of the plugs used to secure the suspended ceiling to the concrete failing. This is a rare and isolated incident and the remediation action being taken will address the issue.
‘We offer our sincere apologies to the residents for the inconvenience and distress caused.’
WDH said initial cracks were reported in February 2022 but when Bryan reported the crack in his living room ceiling, WDH attended the property to inspect it, and an interim fix was done the next day.
Ian Penn, the service director for development said: ‘Our priority is ensuring our customers are safe in their homes. We have carried out an interim repair to Mr Iveson’s ceiling so that it is safe, and we are aware that Bellway will be attending this week to complete a permanent repair.’
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