'It's 12 weeks since my TV worked and the loneliness is hitting me hard'

A man who previously told the ECHO he is on the verge of a nervous breakdown after his TV stopped working claims it’s still broken. Joseph Lafferty, 78, claimed he had been forced to go to the pub just to watch TV after the aerial in his building had “broken.”

It has now been 12 weeks since his TV stopped working and Joseph, who lives in Heathergreen Court, Walton, is demanding answers. The 78-year-old told the ECHO earlier this month how all 18 flats in the building had been left without a working TV after the aerial, on top of the complex, stopped receiving a signal in September this year.

He said the issue has been reported to Your Housing Group, who own the building, however nothing has been done to fix it. Your Housing Group previously apologised to its residents who have been affected by the issue at Heathergreen Court. It said the problem occurred following completion of works in the roof space at the property, causing some residents to be affected by issues with their TV signal.

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The company has now said it will be completing upgrade works next week. However, the 78-year-old, who lives by himself and uses the television for company, says he is fed up over the situation.

He said: “What's going to happen with these tellies? It’s been 12 weeks without a TV, I think I'm having a nervous breakdown, I'm stuck without anything. I've been reading but it's getting very lonely now.”

Joseph added: “Something needs to be sorted out, it's not on. I've reported it to the maintenance team and they have given us an indoor aerial each but they aren’t working and they still haven't fixed the big one [aerial] on the roof.”

In a new statement, a spokesperson for Your Housing Group said: “At Your Housing Group, we pride ourselves on providing our residents a place to call home and we take any issue like the one at Heathergreen Court very seriously. A letter was hand delivered to all residents on 15 November updating them on the situation and offering them an amplified indoor aerial until the upgrade works can take place on 26 November.

“Following a check by our Housing & Customer Services Coordinator at the property, it was confirmed that seven residents had been impacted by the partial loss of TV signal and six of those now had a temporary measure in place which is working. It was also confirmed that the communal TV is still in working order. We will continue to support all residents in the property until the issue is resolved”