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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Josh Sandiford & Laura Sharman

Family including disabled woman forced to wash in 'disgusting' bathroom for months

A family-of-five are having to wash in shocking conditions as they wait for the council to carry out repair work.

Nasreen Akhtar, 38, said bathroom issues have persisted for months at her home where she lives with her two sisters and niece and disabled mum.

The family, of Stechford, Birmingham, are struggling to shower without dampening the wall after the tiles fell off.

Ms Akhtar said the council has left them in limbo for almost two years despite knowing her elderly mother is disabled with conditions including Asthma and Type 2 Diabetes.

The bathroom is the only one in the house meaning the family are forced to manage amid exposed brickwork and piping.

Birmingham City Council told Birmingham Live it was in the process of "actioning an emergency response" and a more permanent repair solution.

The tiles fell off the wall in February 2020 (Nasreen Akhtar/BPM MEDIA)

But Ms Akhtar said the state of the facilities in the council house was "shocking" and made her family feel "absolutely horrible".

The insurance worker decided to speak out about their living conditions after waiting months for a response from the council and contacting her local representatives.

She said: "If any of our relatives come round, the first thing they say is the bathroom is disgusting.

"It's a joke, to be honest.

"It's not good for us because the shower is right next to the wall so no matter how much you try to avoid any of the water going onto that bare brickwork it still does."

Birmingham City Council said it was 'actioning an emergency response' (Nasreen Akhtar/BPM MEDIA)

Ms Akhtar said the issues began in February 2020 when the bathroom tiles fell off and the council sent a contractor to fix it.

But she claimed the workmen "did a really bad job" and left her without any tiles and concerned about the structure of the house.

The council then sent a surveyor round to make sure the wet room was safe and structurally sound, she added.

But the family are still being forced to wash in shocking conditions with bare bricks showing.

Ms Akhtar said her complaint has been ongoing for months and that she has explained the problems over the phone multiple times.

She added: "I have put a complaint through and nothing is being done.

Ms Akhtar said she is now concerned about the structure of the building (Nasreen Akhtar/BPM MEDIA)

"If there's water going on to the brickwork whenever we have a shower it is actually damaging the structure and I've even mentioned that to them many times."

The last time Ms Akhtar contacted the council was two weeks ago but she claims she is still waiting for a response.

A spokesperson for the local authority said: "Birmingham City Council is sorry for any distress caused and has now sent a contractor to ensure the tiles are made safe.

"We are also in discussion with the tenant to find a convenient date when a more permanent repair can be done.

"This will involve the complete re-plastering and re-tiling of the bathroom and a full survey of the rest of the property."

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