Liverpool mother says ceiling leak in apartment could have killed baby

A Merseyside woman said water seeping through her ceiling “like a power shower” “could have killed my baby” and forced her to leave her home.

When Vicky Hughes returned to the Hope Street property in Liverpool earlier this month, she said she heard water rushing into her four-month-old son's room.

She said the damage to the address was “dangerous” and had destroyed her two children’s belongings.

A spokesman for Riverside Group, which manages the home, apologized to Ms Hughes and added: “We remain committed to addressing her concerns about matters affecting her home.”

Ms. Hughes told The Local Democracy Reporting Service The ongoing dispute with the housing association had forced them to leave the property.

“The damp started in the ceiling and I was assured four times that something would be done.

“I have a four-month-old son and when he was just two weeks old, water started flowing from the outside wall into the sockets and ruined the carpet in his room.

“We have to sleep on my sister’s couch in Aintree,” she said.

Referring to the ceiling leak, she said: “It's dangerous, it's my baby's room – it could have killed my baby.”

“It was like a heavy shower coming through and they kept telling me all sorts of things.”

She says the gap where the leak was has now been covered with plasterboard, but there is still work to be done on the property, which has prompted her to move out with her children until they feel it is safe to return.

“It spread everywhere to his and his sister’s toys. It destroyed everything,” she added.

In a statement, a spokesman for Riverside Housing said: “We would like to reassure Ms Hughes that we remain committed to addressing her concerns about matters affecting her home.”

“On Thursday October 17th we made an emergency visit to Ms Hughes’ home following reports of a bedroom ceiling collapse.

“Upon inspection, we discovered that the ceiling had not fallen through and remained secure, but that there was a water stain.

“Given Ms Hughes’ concerns, we ensured the water stain was removed and replaced with new plasterboard the same day.”

The spokesman said he believed the problem was caused by the internal gutters connected to the upstairs apartment and that a visit had been arranged for Friday to investigate the findings.

They added: “We are sorry that Ms Hughes continues to experience these issues in her home.”