'It has been horrendous' - Hebburn family's nightmare over getting South Tyneside Homes to repair their house

A Hebburn family has been living in a nightmare after South Tyneside Homes have taken months to repair their property.

The Martin family's home, on Cambridge Avenue, is suffering from roof spread, which has caused the brickwork to bulge.

This has then caused damp in the living room and in the front bedrooms of the property, which has had an impact on their physical and mental health.

Claire Martin, 34, has told the Shields Gazette about the impact that it has had on her family over the past year.

The mum-of-two said: "Work was supposed to start in January but there was no communication about it until we actually got our local MP involved.

"Because the problems have been left for so long, it has caused damp in the living room and the front bedrooms.

"As a result, the mould has impacted by daughter's asthma and made it worse.

"The only work that had been done to solve the problem was to put anti-mould paint over the damp areas, which obviously hasn't helped.

"When people have came out to inspect the property, they've been gobsmacked at how long we've been left like this, one of them was even able to pull the bricks of out of the wall with his hands.

"I've been feeling constantly uneasy, the whole thing has just been horrendous and it has had a massive impact on not just my mental health, but the mental health of our whole family.

"I'm having sleepless nights, especially when the weather is bad, over whether the roof will come off and for my children's safety."

Claire's husband, Robert, has explained that the full ordeal has left him feeling like they've been "fobbed off" by South Tyneside Homes.

The 38-year-old commented: "My main concerns have been during the high winds that we've been having recently, especially as we've been told that the roof and wall could come down at any point.

"A few of the people who have been out to assess the house have said they are worried that the wall could just fall away when they remove the guttering.

"With just how long the full process has taken, it feels like we've been fobbed off constantly and months have been going by without any progress."

South Tyneside Homes has confirmed to the Shields Gazette that work will be starting in the family's home next week.

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A spokesperson for South Tyneside Homes said: “We received an initial request for inspection of this property in March 2023.

“Following this, an independent structural engineer attended and identified that the property is suffering from roof spread, which in turn has created some slight bulging of the brickwork.

“This is likely to have developed over a number of years. There is no indication from the survey that the property is not structurally sound.

“A specialist roofing contractor was asked to provide a price for the remedial works identified by the structural engineer.

“The value of the quote provided meant that it was necessary to go through a procurement process.

"A tender was accepted in November 2023 and the contractor provided a start date.

“Works will begin next week.”