A pregant woman has been forced to "sofa surf" after a massive hole formed in the ceiling of the family home. Tristan Felton, 28, and his pregnant partner Libby were forced to move out after heavy downpours left their council flat roof damaged.
The family, from Sutton Coldfield, also have a two-year-old son and Triston said the problems started on Saturday morning (October 29) with a brown patch on the ceiling of the living room of the two-bedroom upstairs flat. The hole then appeared ten minutes later and got bigger and bigger.
Triston moved the family out after being told by workmen it could be asbestos and said the young parents had been "sofa-surfing" between their parents. He claimed Birmingham City Council had been unable to provide acceptable alternative accommodation.
The local authority insisted the issues were addressed immediately. Bosses told BirminghamLive the Sutton Coldfield property is now safe for the family's return despite the fact the roof being held together by tape.
Tristan said: "We’ve had an absolute joke with Birmingham City Council. My partner is pregnant and due to give birth anytime. I’m disabled and I have a two-year-old son."
After going back to the property to collect items, Tristan - who lives with chronic muscle pain - said he discovered an even bigger hole in the ceiling with "a sack of water ready to pop at any time".
Tristan claimed there was confusion over whether asbestos was present inside the property but Council bosses have since confirmed there is no trace of the carcinogen. The expectant dad said: ""They expected us to re-enter the property and move all the furniture ourselves, even though they know I physically can’t do it and my [partner] is heavily pregnant.
"They haven’t sorted the actual problem [with] the roof yet and we still haven’t been offered somewhere to stay. We are having to get taxis back and forth with money we don’t have.
"My son's routine is knocked right out of shape. He went from sleeping in his bedroom all night long to sleeping three hours last night. We are barely sleeping ourselves trying to sort things out. It’s just a nightmare at the moment."
Tristan said the family were offered alternative accommodation in the form of a bed and breakfast on Hagley Road in Edgbaston. But he added this couldn't be accepted due to his pregnant partner's medical appointments and its distance from his son's nursery.
A Birmingham City Council spokesperson said: "We’re sorry for the inconvenience caused. We did start to address the issues when the resident first reported the leak and the majority of the work has now been done, including the roof repairs.
"We want to reassure the tenant that asbestos checks have come back negative. We initially offered the tenant temporary accommodation but this was declined. However, the property is now ready for the family to return."
