A West Belfast mum says she "cannot bear the thought of another Christmas" in her home as she waits two years to have her ceiling fixed after it collapsed multiple times.
Mum of four Roisin Duffy of Clonfadden Crescent in West Belfast said her family have been living a nightmare for the past two years as they suffer a series of problems that are a result of the large holes in their ceiling.
She added the ceiling in her living room collapsed just over two years ago as a result of an internal leak from a radiator. Then a few months later as she was doing the dishes in her kitchen when the ceiling collapsed on top of her leaving her with a black eye.
This incident also caused a waste pipe to become exposed in her kitchen, which caused the room to be covered in urine.
She explained repairs were meant to take place in 2020 but due to the pandemic they were delayed and have not taken place since and as a result the house has developed mould and damp problems which the mum believes is affecting her and her children's health.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Roisin said: "I cannot bear the thought of having to have another Christmas in a house like this. Just thinking about it has me on the edge of a breakdown, my mental health is ruined living here.
"We basically live our entire lives in my bedroom because of the damp. Nobody should have to live like this.
"It is two years since the ceiling collapsed the first time and the second time I was at the sink doing the dishes when everything fell on top of me giving me a black eye.
"As a result we have an exposed waste pipe above our kitchen and it was left covered in urine.
"Can you imagine trying to live your life with something like this. I am trying to raise a young family and I have no kitchen that I am able to use to get kids ready for school in the morning or make tea. You are not able to do anything in the house because it will just get ruined.
"I have been on antibiotics constantly due to the health problems that this has given us and we have been waiting years for someone to fix this as we are not able to do it ourselves. It was meant to have been done two years ago originally but things were delayed by the pandemic and nothing has been done to sort it since."
Radius Housing has apologised for the delay in repairs being carried out on the property and will be making repairs as a matter of urgency in the coming days.
A spokesperson for Radius Housing said "Our contractor is scheduled to visit this property to prepare it for all necessary repairs on Wednesday December 1. After the initial repairs were made there was a delay in undertaking the plasterwork and other remedial works due to restrictions brought on by covid and subsequently by issues accessing the property.
"We understand the frustration the delay in completing these repairs has brought and we apologise for that. We are ensuring that this work is being undertaken as a matter of urgency."
