Disabled dad, 55, facing 'second eviction' from 'smelly home' after yelling 'let them in' to the council

Jamie Brassington
·6-min read
Shaun Shipley
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


A disabled dad claims he's been threatened with eviction for the second time after shouting 'let them in' when council workers arrived to clean his property. Shaun Shipley, aged 55, has been locked in a row with the council since his home was flooded in September following torrential rain. He lost prized possessions, included photos of his dead wife, was forced him to rip up the laminate flooring downstairs and throw away thousands of pounds worth of furniture and belongings after several feet of murky water poured into his property off the street.

Mr Shipley, who lives with his friend Julie, 50, said his home on Pitclose Road in West Heath still stinks from the flood water and they desperately want to move out. But he claims Birmingham council said it would take 'five years' to find him a different property while he'll have to wait '18 months' for repairs to take place due to a 'lack of funds'.

Shaun, who is registered disabled after breaking his back in 1989, said he and Julie have since developed 'nasty coughs'. His 29-year-old son who has cerebral palsy has had to move out. And Shaun, who claims benefits via PIP, said he can't afford to rent privately.

READ MORE: Family left in 'smelly home' facing eviction for swearing at council officer

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Meanwhile, an electrical engineer who attended the other day was forced to down tools after claiming there was 'asbestos particles in the air' which had formed following the flood, said Shaun. The dad-of-three claims Birmingham council has only been out to clean his property one time since September where they came equipped with 'just a single mop and bucket'.

Frustrated by the incident and the council's response, he ended up swearing at officers after they allegedly told him to put 'newspaper' on the ground in response to concerns his son couldn't crawl on the floor which was now concrete after taking up the laminate. Afterwards, Shaun was threatened with eviction for the first time following the incident.

Shaun Shipley's council property
Shaun Shipley's council property

To his surprise, Shaun said officers came again weeks later - without notifying him - to clean his property. But he says a misunderstanding took place and they left without carrying out any work.

He explained: "Two weeks ago, they sent those cleaners back out, the two that came with a mop bucket and bleach. Julie answered the door. Obviously, because of me telling them to f*** off, I don't deal with it, I let Julie answer the door.

"She opened the door and asked 'What are you here for?' They kept showing Julie a work order but she didn't know what it was. So I shouted 'Just let them in'.

"Because Julie is partially deaf, she said 'They don't know what they're here for' and I said 'Just let them in'. In the end, they said no, I was being aggressive by shouting.

The items and furniture had to chuck outside
The items and furniture had to chuck outside

"They left and I got a phone call off the council again, two hours later, saying they could go for the eviction now because I have been abusive and aggressive for the second time. I said I didn't swear. They said you don't have to swear to be abusive. I said I wasn't even talking to them. They said 'We will look into it but it sounds like the second strike to me'."

On Monday (November 3), Shaun said his property's annual electricity check took place. An electrician attended and looked in the cupboard under the stairs but the electrician 'declined' to carry out any work.

Shaun continued: "He said 'I can't even go in there' because all the asbestos that was in there is wet and it's blown so there's now asbestos in the air, so he can't do that and it was too dangerous for him to check the electric."

Shaun said the ongoing saga has left him and Julie - who both suffer with asthma - "stressed" out. He said the pair continue to live upstairs. And they can't even put their heating on because the house becomes a "sauna" of bad smells when they do. And there's also "mould spores" on the walls.

"You end with a mist, like a sauna, due to the moisture off the walls," he said. "Everything upstairs has started rotting because of the damp in the air.

"We opened up a pack of pillow cases, brand new pillow cases. They had been on the side for about a week and they were actually wet inside the plastic. God knows what we are breathing in. We have got a really nasty cough and a sore throat.

Shaun Shipley's council property
Shaun Shipley's council property

"It absolutely stinks, still, it's disgusting. The electrician was here for three or four minutes, he started coughing his guts up. He said 'I can't even speak to you in the house'.

"And the council are saying this is fine, it's perfect, it's liveable. When I owe the council £2 or £3 rent, it's their house. As soon as it's flooded and damaged, it's my house, it's my responsibility."

He added: "The council said it could take eighteen months to repair downstairs because they haven't got the funding. They expect us to live upstairs over winter with no heating. Me and Julie have got asthma, we can't put the heaters on, we'd be coughing our guts up even more. It's a nightmare.

"We want to be moved but they said I'm not on their (housing) list. And they said if I joined, it will be about five years before they get back to me."

A Birmingham City Council spokesperson said: "The flooding of someone's home will cause considerable distress and anxiety for anyone having to deal with it. Since the flooding occurred, we have been looking to carry out repairs and maintenance on the property as a matter of urgency. However, contractors have not always been granted access to the property.

"We will continue to make appointments with Mr. Shipley to carry out the work needed as urgently as possible. While we appreciate this is distressing time and that Mr. Shipley is frustrated, we have a duty to protect our staff from abusive behaviour and have issued warnings in line with our policies.

"The flooding has affected other homes on Pit Close Road and work is underway to improve flood defences for properties on the street. Contractors have been out to these properties and carried out similar work."

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