A CANCER sufferer and his wife have been left with a leaking home for a month after they were “abandoned” by workers.

Trevor and Beatrice Lines, both 69, hired a firm to fix the roof at their bungalow, in Sweet Briar Road, Stanway.

Workers stripped down the roof, but did not return to replace it, saying it was not the right temperature to finish the job.

Mr and Mrs Lines have been living under a sheet of tarpaulin, which is letting water in.

Gazette:

Mrs Lines said: “They stripped off the roofing and then disappeared.

“They’ve had our deposit, but nothing seems to have happened.

It is very depressing.

“Christmas was a disaster. We had all the family down and we had to spend the early hours mopping up.

“We can’t leave, because someone has got to change the buckets.

“It leaks all night. We don’t knowwhat to do.”

The ceilings in the utility room and kitchen have been damaged by the water.

Workers have visited the house to fix the tarpaulin as a temporary solution, but it is still leaking and they say they cannot do any more work until the temperature is right.

Mrs Lines claims she was never told the work was dependent on weather.

She said: “We would never have employed them in December, if we knew that was the case.

“We would have waited until the spring, especially when we had family coming for Christmas.

“It is so frustrating. There is a complete feeling of abandonment.

It has really affected by husband’s health.”

Mr Lines, who visits a hospice once a week, said a customer services advisor asked him if he could go on to the roof and fix the tarpaulin.

He said: “There is no way I could climb a ladder at the moment let alone go on the roof.

“The firm has a very good reputation, but we’re not very happy with them.

“We feel as though we can’t trust them.”

No one from the firm, which we have decided not to name at this stage, was available to comment.