Caerau botched insulation homes still awaiting repairs

Frustrated homeowners are still waiting for botched insulation to be removed one year after funding was announced.

Up to 104 homes in Bridgend county were damaged by insulation installed as part of an energy efficiency scheme.

Bridgend council and the Welsh government later pledged to fund repairs after the poor standard of work caused damp and mould.

Funding was announced in February 2022 but homeowners still do not know when work will start.

In a letter to residents of Caerau, Maesteg, the council apologised for the delay and said more information would be provided in April.

Surveys will be carried out on the homes to find out how much work they will need, the letter added.

Rhiannon Goodall, who is waiting for repairs to her home, said the letter is the first official contact she has had from the council.

"It's ridiculous and really disappointing. I don't believe that it should have taken this long," she said. 

"I don't think [the work] is going to happen until next year."

In December, the council's chief executive Mark Shepherd said he expected insulation to be removed in May.

New insulation might be installed in November, but he said the council needed expert advice on whether the work could happen in the winter.  

Insulation on 79 homes was installed with money from UK-wide schemes. Another 25 were part of the Welsh government's Arbed scheme.  

In some cases, contractors that carried out work under the Arbed programme have since gone out of business.

Regardless of how it was funded, the Welsh government is spending £2.65m and the council £850,000 to repair all the homes. 

Retired miner Richie Humphreys, 79, described the delay as "shambolic".

He added: "We've been treated disrespectfully. They told us last year that everything was in place."

A Bridgend council spokesperson said specialist contractors will be appointed to "remove the inadequate internal and external wall insulation from affected properties."

The spokesperson added: "The wall space will be dried out, and new high-quality insulation will be installed to restore the energy efficient benefits that householders were originally offered."

The solid-wall insulation has also caused problems in other parts of the country.

Caerphilly council and the Welsh government will spend more than £3m to fix 86 homes in Bryn Carno, Rhymney.

Local councillor Carl Cuss said "great chunks" of insulation had fallen off some houses.

"Some residents have seen damp coming into their properties because the external wall insulation wasn't installed properly," he said.

"Some of the materials weren't very suitable so water has gone into the cavity and caused a lot problems inside the properties."

Plaid Cymru MS Siân Gwenllian has also asked the Welsh government to help people in her Arfon constituency, which includes Bangor and Caernarfon in Gwynedd.

She said: "It's very unfair for these people who have put their faith in a scheme to find their houses are now worse off than when they started."

Referring to the homes in Caerau, the Welsh government said: "We are providing £2.65m over the next three years to Bridgend County Borough Council which will be used to repair more than 100 homes in the Caerau area.

The spokesperson said that surveys on the homes in Ms Gwenllian's Arfon constituency suggest the insulation "did not fail in the same way as it did at the south Wales sites".

"Residents have received letters that explain the process to follow if they are unsatisfied with any products or services," they added.