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Veteran battles damp and mould at retirement block

BBC 77-year-old Elvet Jones sitting in a maroon leather armchair, with a brown t-shirt and his arms foldedBBC
Elvet Jones has lived at Oakmore Lodge for 10 years

A military veteran has said he and fellow residents are "frustrated" at problems caused by damp in their retirement block.

Parts of Oakmore Lodge in Hayling Island, Hampshire, have suffered from black mould and water coming into homes through the roof.

Former Royal Engineer Elvet Jones, 77, said living conditions had worsened in recent years and claimed pleas for the building to be repaired and maintained had been "ignored".

Freeholder, AA Homes and Housing Ltd, said the leaks had been fixed but had re-occurred due to "turbulent weather".

Elvet Jones looking upwards into a cupboard with a central heating boiler inside. Towels are stuffed on the top shelf to prevent water from flowing downwards
Water comes through the ceiling into Mr Jones' top floor flat

The former convent building was converted into 12 flats as a retirement development - three flats are privately owned and the rest are rented.

Mr Jones said each time it rained, water poured down the sides of cupboards and walls in his top-floor flat.

Other residents have been forced to use dehumidifiers throughout the day and night, while plaster is falling away from around doors and windows.

The exterior wall shows signs of cracking while a downpipe is detached from the gutter.

A close up of skirting board beside and external glass door. The wood is rotted and grey/black mould is apparent on the skirting board
Signs of mould can be seen around external doors

Mr Jones, who fought in the Falklands War, said residents were "at the end of our tether".

"As the winter comes in now, because we live on the coast the wind and the rain come flying in. Some of the walls in my flat will turn black."

He said problems were alleviated when the outside wall was painted, but the issues have "come back again".

"It's frustrating - instead of being able to relax and have a cup of tea, I've got to get up and start stripping walls down and start decorating.

"We're all in our seventies and should all be relaxing at our stage in life and enjoying it - we paid out good money for these properties."

Exterior view of Oakmore Lodge, with the two-storey buildings alongside a car park, behind a wall
Oakmore Lodge is a former convent building

In a statement, Croyden-based AA Homes and Housing Ltd said: "There has been a problem with a leak from a roof window and associated problems with regards to this."

"Numerous repair visits have been undertaken and the council informed. This issue was resolved, however, due to the turbulent weather conditions this year, this has re-occurred," it added.

It said an offer to replace the roof and provide alternative accommodation had been turned down, something which the residents dispute.

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