A GREENOCK mum has been left with water pouring in through a gaping hole in her ceiling for days as her home becomes a building site.

Danielle Compston and other residents in her block of flats in Aberfoyle Road have had their flats turned into a construction zone around them while a £1 million refurbishment takes place.

Cloch Housing told tenants that the programme, which includes re-roofing and rendering work, would be a ‘minor inconvenience’.

But Danielle, who has to stop her one-year-old son from crawling through the puddles of water in her hall, says it is a living nightmare.

Yet she has been refused a move out by housing bosses and told that it is safe to continue to live there.

Mum-of-two Danielle, 24, said: “I keep getting flooded. When the contractors came in I was told that I live in Greenock, so it is going to rain.

“There is asbestos in the ceilings and I am now concerned for our health. I can’t have my baby living in this. The workmen have had to come in to try and fix it but they don’t seem able to stop the water, it just keeps coming in. They said there is no guarantee it will stop.

“Every time I leave the house and come back there is more water coming through the ceiling.

“I want to be moved out of here and I don’t want to come back but I have been told by Cloch that there is nothing they can do.

“They are saying it is safe. But how can I live like this with two small children?”

Danielle is growing increasingly concerned about the risks to her six-year-old daughter Kayla and her son Alexander.

Three blocks of flats in Aberfoyle Road are to be upgraded as part of an investment in partnership with Everwarm.

But Danielle said: “I have no idea when this is going to end.”

The water from her ceiling is pouring down through her flat into the house downstairs. Her neighbour Rita Watson, 52, who suffers from MS, said: “It has been an absolute nightmare.

"The water causes so much damage. I just wonder what they are going to do to compensate us.”

Resident William Barclay says he’s had water coming into his flat since December.

He said: “Cloch Housing have just put our rent up. I don’t understand why they would start this work in the winter. It is ridiculous.”

When they announced the refurbishment in November, Cloch said it would bring significant benefits with minor inconvenience.  

The work involves insulation improvements, including the rendering and re-roofing plus painting, new bin storage areas and improved drying greens, as well as external doors and ramps.

The housing association said: “Cloch is undertaking a significant investment programme in Aberfoyle Road involving new roofs and external insulation. Since becoming aware of the problem, which is at an internal downpipe, the association and its contractors acted quickly to carry out a temporary repair which is monitored daily.

“The permanent solution will be in place once the new roofing has been installed – we require a couple of dry days to ensure that this is installed correctly and can bind accordingly. There is no asbestos removal being carried out at this time; this is in accordance with good practice.”

Cloch added that they were ‘confident’ the major works will ensure that Danielle and other residents are left with ‘warm, well insulated homes and any water ingress will be resolved’.

Their spokesperson added: “It has not been felt necessary to decant Danielle as temporary repairs have been effected to the property and the hall and bathroom ceilings will be made good once the roofing work is complete.

"The property remains habitable. Although we cannot provide an exact completion for the works our contractor is aware of the urgency and is  working to complete this part of the programme as quickly as possible.”