Council tenant awaiting shower repair forced to use bucket in garden

A Tottenham resident says he had to bathe in his garden because it took Haringey Council so long to repair his bathroom.

Cliff Osuga said it was “disgraceful” that his family was left waiting for the local authority to fix a broken water pump in the shower in their council house in Lomond Close, Seven Sisters.

He claims it took more than two weeks for the council to fix the problem, which was preventing water from draining away, although the council says it was done in ten days.

Cliff said at one point he “begged” to be allowed to take a shower at a local leisure centre – an experience he described as “humiliating”. On another occasion, he waited until after dark and donned his swimming trunks before bathing in the “cold garden” using a bucket.

“It has been absolutely disgraceful,” said Cliff, who was sharing the house with his mother and brother before he returned to university.

“What was most distressing is just the fact that multiple times we got through and they said something was going to be done and someone would come round to fix it. That’s what I hated the most.

“I was meant to go back to university, so I had to delay that to wait and see if they came. That was two-and-a-half weeks without a working shower in the house.”

Cliff said all the efforts he took to speed up the repairs did not work, and the family had spent “many hours” on hold after calling the council. He added that “a couple of times” his mother had been unable to go into work because she was waiting for council staff to turn up and fix the shower.

He said: “It is being treated with disrespect that is the most distressing for us.”

Dana Carlin, cabinet member for housing services, private renters and planning, said: “We know how difficult it is for our residents when they are unable to bathe or shower, and we prioritise completing these repairs as quickly as possible.

“We were able to complete this repair in ten days, although I understand this would have still been difficult for our resident. The council will continue to explore new ways to improve our services and reduce the waiting time for our residents.”