A cold Christmas in store for West Winch family due to housing problem

A West Winch family is facing a cold comfort Christmas after being told a missing loft hatch won’t be replaced until the new year.

Lauren Allwright and Danny Eagle, who are parents to three-month-old Jayden James, say they have been living with the problem for the past 18 months, despite reporting it to their landlords, Freebridge Community Housing, on at least 15 separate occasions.

And the housing operator has admitted fixing the problem has taken longer that it wanted.

The couple have been living under a ceiling with a large hole in it following unfinished repairs.

They say they are preparing to spend their son’s first Christmas in the cold after Freebridge had made numerous “excuses” as to why the repairs can’t be completed as a matter of urgency.

Lauren said she is spending “twice the usual amount on heating” because the house feels like you are “living in Antartica butt naked”.

She added: “We don’t have the money to spend on heating like this, but if we switch it off for an hour the house is freezing.

“We’ve made a makeshift cover using polystyrene and tape but the wind is so strong it’s blowing it off.”

Birgit Lenton, Director of Corporate Service and Culture at Freebridge, said yesterday: “We are sorry to hear that Miss Allwright and Mr Eagle have experienced a delay in having their loft hatch replaced.

“Freebridge Community Housing is committed to providing the very best level of service possible to our customers and in this case the work has taken longer to complete than we would like.”

But Lauren said: “I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve called Freebridge.

“I’ve called them over fifteen times for sure.

“They said they would come and replace a window, but not put a door on the loft hatch, they keep making excuses- like once they even told me that they don’t even make the doors for the loft anymore.

“I’ve told them that my baby is unwell and how much we are spending on heating.

“I have to put mittens on him at night to keep him warm, I shouldn’t be doing that.

“Why isn’t my son’s safety important? It makes us feel as parents like we can’t provide a proper home for him.

“We can’t wait much longer, it’s getting really cold now and it’s dangerous.”

After speaking to the Lynn News yesterday Freebridge said: “We have now booked an appointment with them for the work to take place at the beginning of January, and if we have any cancellations in the mean time we will ensure that the hatch door is replaced before that date.”