Merseyside Mother Raises Alarm Over Ceiling Leak’s Potential Danger to Infant

A woman residing in Merseyside has stated that water pouring “like a power shower” through her ceiling “could have killed my baby” and has compelled her to vacate her apartment. Upon returning to the dwelling located off Hope Street, Liverpool, earlier this month, Vicky Hughes reported hearing water rushing into her four-month-old son’s room. She described the damage at the address as “dangerous” and indicated that it had ruined possessions belonging to her two children. A spokesperson for the Riverside Group, which is responsible for managing the home, offered an apology to Ms Hughes, adding: “We remain committed to resolving her concerns about matters affecting her home.” Ms Hughes informed The Local Democracy Reporting Service that the ongoing disagreement with the housing association had forced her to leave the property. She recounted, “The damp started on the ceiling and I was assured something would be done four times.“I have a four-month-old son and, when he was just two weeks old, water began leaking from the outside wall into the sockets and wrecked the carpet in his room.“We’re having to sleep on my sister’s couch in Aintree.” Referring to the ceiling leak, she commented: “It’s dangerous, it’s my baby’s room – it could have killed my baby.“It was like a power shower coming through and they keep telling me all sorts.” She indicated that a section of plasterboard has since been installed to cover the opening where the leak occurred, but stated that further work is still required at the property, leading her to relocate with her children until they deem it secure enough to reoccupy. She further stated: “It went all over his toys and his sister’s. It destroyed everything.” In a formal statement, a representative for Riverside Housing affirmed: “We want to reassure Ms Hughes that we remain committed to resolving her concerns about matters affecting her home.” The spokesperson continued: “On Thursday 17 October, we made an emergency visit to Ms Hughes’ flat following a report of a bedroom ceiling collapse.“Upon inspection, we found that the ceiling had not fallen through and remained secure, but that a water stain could be seen.” They added: “With Ms Hughes’ worries in mind, we arranged for the water stain to be removed and replaced with new plasterboard the same day.” The representative indicated that they suspect the problem originates from the internal gutters linked to the apartment above, and confirmed that an inspection visit was scheduled for Friday to further investigate these findings. They concluded by stating: “We are sorry that Ms Hughes has continued to experience these issues within her home.”