A woman has waited more than a year to have work completed to fix rising damp in her home by a council.

Mel Humphreys first complained about damp in her Southwick council home back in June 2022, but is still waiting for the work to be completed some 16 months later.

It comes after Adur District Council referred itself to the Regulator of Social Housing earlier this year after a review “identified health and safety issues in some of its properties”.

The regulator found the council in breach of the housing standard, with almost one in five fire inspections overdue and more than 1,500 homes without a working smoke alarm.

Mel is calling for accountability after being left with damp in her home for so long.

She said: “I’ve been an Adur Homes resident for a number of years and over the last decade I’ve noticed a rapid decline in services.

“I reported an issue with rising damp in June 2022 and the work is still not completed. I now face Christmas with no plaster on the walls of my lounge.

“I put in an official complaint but, despite a promise of a response within 14 days, it took them four months.

“There needs to be some accountability for the failings of Adur Homes and transparency for the tenants and wider public - that includes our local MP Tim Loughton.”

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Scott Gilfillian, who is running to be Labour’s candidate for East Worthing and Shoreham, has also called for greater transparency after Adur District Council did not respond to his Freedom of Information request for details of meetings with Tim Loughton over the operation of Adur Homes.

He has called for the Conservative MP to “come clean” about his dealings over safety concerns at social housing.

The Argus: Scott GilfillanScott Gilfillan (Image: Scott Gilfillan)

Mr Gilfillian said: “I’ve witnessed first-hand the scandalous state of Adur Homes under the Tories, and that happened on Tim Loughton’s watch.

“Local residents have been complaining about the appalling conditions and safety standards at Adur Homes for years, turning to Labour’s Adur councillors to give them a voice because local Conservatives won’t listen.

“Those residents and local taxpayers deserve to know what Tim Loughton knew about this scandal and when.

“It’s deeply troubling that Adur District Council refuses to say, so Tim Loughton must now come clean and set the record straight.

“Everyone deserves a safe and affordable home to live in - for me, that’s non-negotiable. That’s why decent homes will be my priority as Labour’s candidate.”

Adur District Council and Tim Loughton were approached for comment.