Dad-of-five forced to live in caravan with no electricity or water as he fears ‘bungalow from hell’ will collapse on him
A DAD-of-five has been forced to live in a caravan with no water or electricity as he fears his "bungalow from hell" will collapse on him.
Trev Fairminer, 65, is living in the cramped mobile home following a ten-year wait for the council to carry out repairs on his house.
The dad, who has severe osteoarthritis and struggles to walk, claims he has emailed Charnwood Borough Council thousands of times.
Trev now believes the bungalow in Shepshed, Leics, is a "death trap" as tree roots have pushed the foundations causing cracks in the wall.
He told The Sun Online: "There are people in third world countries who live in better surroundings than this. It’s a living nightmare.
“Sometimes I think they’d rather kill me by living there than do the work.
“You go to sleep thinking ‘will I wake up?’ - the walls are so cracked and unsteady, you think the ceiling will cave in.
“They’ve promised again and again to fix things but all they do is just put a sticking plaster on.“There are cracks so big you can put your hand through them. There’s asbestos in the ceiling and chunks are just falling to the floor.
“It’s not somewhere that anyone should be living - let alone a pensioner who has health problems.”
Trev and chihuahua Boo moved into the static caravan last March but still has no electricity.
The granddad also has to rely on neighbours to fetch him water so he can wash himself in a sink.
But he feels the dire living conditions are a "world away" from his social housing bungalow.
'HEALTH HAZARD'
He said: “The council keep sending Bob the Builder to plaster over cracks but they need specialist builders. The walls are moving as the tree roots go under the house.
“I’ve had water pour down the inside of the walls - the skirting boards are rotten and the carpets are ruined.
“There’s damp and mould - it’s a health hazard.”
Trev, who also has Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, moved into the home in February 2011.
He claims he has spent ten years trying to get the council to repair his "bungalow from hell".
Exasperated Trev has now plastered images on the windows of the 1960s property over the cracked walls and mouldy ceilings - along with a notice reading: “Shame on you Charnwood Borough Council”.
He was told last year the work would start after a structural engineering report was completed.
But Trev claims little work has been done so far.
COUNCIL ROW
He has turned down temporary accommodation by the council as he would rather live in the caravan than move six miles away.
Trev also refused an offer of alternative permanent accommodation as he insists it was unsuitable for his health problems.
Charnwood Borough Council said it was told about the cracks at the property in July 2018 and plastering work was carried out.
A spokesperson explained a structural engineer was appointed in 2019 after they received reports of "continued problems" and found work needed to be done.
They added: ''In order for this structural work to take place, Mr Fairminer was advised that he would need to move out of the property on a temporary basis.
''Since November 2020, we have offered Mr Fairminer five different properties.
''Mr Fairminer refused four of these properties. Alongside this, we also offered to take care of arrangements to help Mr Fairminer make the temporary move.''
The council said it was waiting on a new contractor to provide a quote for the repair work, after another builder turned down the work.
The spokesperson added: “We will continue to provide Mr Fairminer with regular updates.''
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