Council admits ‘it got it wrong’ after leaving Hull couple in freezing cold home for two months (Picture: MEN Media)

Hull City Council has apologised for an ‘admin error’ which left a couple trapped in a freezing cold home for months.

Lorraine Exelby, 58, contacted the council in September after severe damp was found in her council home.

Workers came around and removed the skirting board, plaster, and part of the flooring in her living room.

She says she expected them to come back round after the damp was removed and restore things back to the way they were, but over two months later nobody had come in to resolve the issue. 

When she finally called a council worker, she was told the work had been marked as completed on their system.

‘He told me it had been cancelled and I told him it hasn’t, I am still missing half a wall,’ Lorraine said.

‘They said they are going to have to reorder and the work won’t be done until January next year.

‘I have rung them three to four times a week and am just getting fed up. I have the fire on, the radiator on and I just cannot keep the room warm.’

Workers from Hull council stripped Lorraine’s skirting board and half of her wall in an attempt to remove some damp, but forgot to restore things after finishing the job (Picture: MEN Media)

Lorraine and her husband say they have had to spend a fortune trying to keep the house warm as they suffer from health issues made worse by the cold.

Despite this, the exposed house continues to stay at low temperatures, and the couple have been forced to layer up blankets at all times in their own home in order to keep warm.

‘I suffer from asthma and lung problems, and my husband suffers from heart problems. We just can’t keep the house warm. The amount of money we have spent, we just can’t keep up,’ she added.

A Hull City Council spokesperson has said they sincerely apologise for the mistake and they will be getting in touch with Mrs Exelby to resolve the issue.

They said: ‘We are sorry, we got this one wrong and will pull out the stops to put it right. This was an admin error and we sincerely apologise for the inconvenience.

‘Our contractor is contacting the resident on Friday to agree what work is needed and a date when we can get it done.’

The couple were forced to spend a fortune on their heating bills after an admin error at the council had marked the job as ‘complete’ (Picture: MEN Media)

Lorraine and her partner are not the only ones who have been struggling to heat their homes as a result of the ongoing cost of living crisis.

Earlier this month, a Merseyside pensioner who was left without heating or hot water was told she ‘will die’ this winter as the heating crisis continues to hit the most vulnerable.

Alarming photos of pensioner Irene’s home revealed she was left with nothing but a tiny electric heater to her entire home after her gas valves were shut off.

A fundraiser was launched to help Irene after harrowing pictures emerged of the dire straits she was forced to live in.

A lot of people are facing a very bleak winter in the future because of the cost-of-living crisis,’ said James Anderson, head of a company which helps those living in run-down conditions and can’t afford the upkeep of their homes.

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They were left in a damp home for months after workmen tore up their skirting boards for a job and never returned.