Rhyl family facing Christmas in ‘freezing cold’ home urge help

Aiden Hibbert, 22, lives in a property rented from housing association ClwydAlyn on Wellington Road, and has done for the last two years.

But, he added, he and his family have had issues with the property for “just as long”, with current problems including a lack of heating and the presence of mice.

He also fears for the health of his one-year-old son, who is having to live in “Baltic” conditions, he said.

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Aiden, who works as a cook at KFC, said: “We have damp and very cold temperatures inside the property.

Damp patches inside Aiden's property (Image: Aiden Hibbert)

“We have one tiny radiator in our hallway, but no matter how long we have our heating on, after 15-20 minutes of turning it off, our property drops to 13.5°C inside.

“The building is riddled with mice, but ClwydAlyn ignored Rentokil’s suggestions on areas that need to be sealed up and still haven’t fixed them - it’s been two years now.

“The heating has been an issue for over a year, and last time, they referred us to Warm Wales, who couldn’t do anything as it seems like there’s either no insulation at all or a severe lack of it.”

Aiden said he also suffers from chest problems, which he feels are being exacerbated by the coldness of his home.

He pleaded with ClwydAlyn to fix the issues which he raised with the property – if the housing association did so, he said, “this property would be absolutely fine”.

A crack in the wall at Aiden's property (Image: Aiden Hibbert)

“My one-year-old is going to get sick, constantly living in freezing and damp conditions - the property is also riddled with tiny little bugs,” Aiden added.

“It’s horrible, waking up every morning and it being Baltic. My partner just wants somewhere warm; our child’s always freezing cold – it’s mentally degrading, knowing that ClwydAlyn could help, but aren’t.

“I’ve got chest issues, which is not being helped at all by the cold.

“At this point, we just want the problems sorted out. If that happened, this property would be absolutely fine.”

In response to Aiden’s comments, Edward Hughes, executive director of care and support at ClwydAlyn, addressed a number of the issues he raised about the property.

He said: “We are sorry to hear Mr Hibbert is experiencing issues with his home, we want our residents to feel safe and happy in their homes.

“We were first made aware of an issue with mice at the property on November 8, and we instructed Rentokil on November 10.

“We are waiting for the agency report and will complete any work required, once we have received any recommendations made.

“We have no record of any mice being reported by the resident two years ago. However, our housing team will contact the resident to understand the problem and we’ll carry out any work required.

“Our records show one job has been raised that relates to heating the home, which concerned the boiler in February this year. The repair was carried out on the same day it was reported.

“We are sorry to hear Mr Hibbert and his family are suffering from damp, insulation, and heating issues.”

No matter how long we have our heating on, after 15-20 minutes of turning it off, our property drops to 13.5°C inside. (Image: Aiden Hibbert)

Mr Hughes also encouraged any tenants of ClwydAlyn to contact the housing association “directly” and “as quickly as possible” about any problems they may have with their homes.

He added: “Now we are aware of the challenges the family is facing, one of our officers has been out to assess the home and we’re in the process of raising the work orders with the relevant teams.

“We’ve also been running a proactive campaign to contact all of our residents about any issues with damp, mould and condensation in their home and asked them to get in touch.

“Our welfare rights team and housing officers work with Warm Wales and other partners to support residents who are struggling.

“A referral was made to Warm Wales for Mr Hibbert, and following their recommendations work was carried out.

“Our team will reach out to Mr Hibbert to discuss any new concerns, ongoing work, and the options of support available.

“We encourage our residents to report any concerns to us directly and as soon as they notice a problem, so that we can address any issues they may be facing as quickly as possible.”