Gran, 88, found 'soaking wet' in garden 'insulted' by housing association

A pensioner claimed to be "insulted" over a complaint about the foul condition of her shed. Avid gardener Patricia Toole from Prenton says she can no longer enjoy the pastime as a leak in her shed has caused "hundreds of pounds worth of gardening tools" to rust.

Suffering from arthritis and with a pacemaker and blocked valve, the 88-year-old gran reported having to lift heavy buckets of water she placed in her shed to collect rainwater. Her granddaughter, Samantha Skillen, they have been contacting the Onward housing association since December to rectify the issue, but to no avail yet.

Patricia revelled working in her garden as a 'little bit of leisure', which also helps to keep her mobile, reports the Liverpool Echo. The concerned granddaughter added she had called Onward every week since December.

She said: "We ended up finally getting another appointment the other week. Two men turned up - contracted from Liberty (a property maintenance firm) - and they were really good. They said they'd put the case through as an emergency and that someone would be in contact within 72 hours."

Samantha was left frustrated after multiple calls to Onward Homes, claiming their system showed no record of work being completed on her property. She added: "I told them it hasn't been completed and that I wanted an appointment today.

"They said all I can do is email admin for Liberty and they will get in touch with the supervisors. When I tried to ring Liberty, I went through all the automated systems and couldn't get to the repair centre."

The situation worsened as Samantha added: "The last thing I've heard was that Onward would let me know when an appointment was being made and we were offered a £50 goodwill gesture. But I told them there's hundreds of pounds worth of tools that have rusted in the shed."

Despite taking matters into her own hands and securing the shed roof with assistance from her neighbour, the fix was not permanent, leaving Samantha out of pocket and still in need of a solution.

Patricia expressed her dismay at the offer of compensation, saying: "I've been gardening since I was evacuated during the war. I absolutely love it, I grow my own rhubarb and spring onions to cook with and it keeps me mobile.

"I've been living in this house for 53 years. When we first moved in, the council owned it and if you put a complaint in someone would come round, look at the problem and then an inspector would come round to check it had been fixed."

Samantha also said: "I walked into my nan the other week, absolutely wringing wet, lifting heavy buckets of water. Just putting a bit of felt on the roof would be a 10-minute job. They're getting rent from my nan, never once has she been in arrears."

"Getting out in the garden helps her and keeps her mobile. Her being out in the garden is her little bit of leisure. As soon as there's a little bit of sun, she's out there and if she doesn't answer the phone, we know what she's up to."

An Onward Homes' spokesperson offered their apologies stating: "We are very sorry to Mrs Toole for the distress and inconvenience caused by this situation and are working to put this right as quickly as possible.

"Our contractors carried out an initial visit to establish what works needed to be undertaken, but we acknowledge that there have been delays to completing this that fall short of our standards.

"We are visiting Mrs Toole's home tomorrow (23rd April) to carry out the repairs and will ensure that she is satisfied with the outcome of the work. We are also in contact with Mrs Toole to understand if she needs any extra help from us."

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