A neighbour is suffering from roots coming up from their toilet due to a tree endangering the flats where they live in Reading.
Antheny Gourr lives at a block of flats in Copenhagen Close, Whitley Wood.
The flats are affordable homes managed by the A2Dominion housing association.
Mr Gourr has shared photos showing a crack in the brickwork of the building caused by the roots of the Norwegian spruce tree.
He is now calling for the housing association to take swift action to resolve the situation.
Mr Gourr said: “One side of the building is subsiding, we’ve been told it’s been happening due to a spruce tree that should’ve been removed, the building needs to be underpinned and rebricked. It’s taken seven years to get to this stage.
“Two of us have major health conditions, we feel like we’ve been overlooked time and again.
“It could take a year for them to take action – they are not sure how they will deal with it and how they will fund it.”
Mr Gourr helps one of the neighbours in the building.
It was then that he made the remarkable claim that roots are coming up from her toilet.
Mr Gourr said: “I help her, branches are coming up from the toilet.
“If you flush the toilet, then roots start appearing.
“She’s lived like that for four years and haven’t done anything, minor roots are being brought up.
“She’s quite ill, so for her it’s upsetting.
“They [A2Dominion] are very slow coming forward with repairs, it’s unfair, it has been documented, the inside of my flat has got worse from one year to the next, if I touch plaster it will collapse onto the bathroom floor, they’ve known about it but have done nothing.
“Two of us will have to move properties while they do this, we can’t open and close windows without shoving them, we want it done as soon as possible, having to wait a year is unacceptable.”
A2Dominion was asked about the situation. _
Dawn Wightman, Director of Customer & Communities at A2Dominion, said: “We’re sorry to hear about the concerns raised by customers and would like to reassure them that safety is our top priority.
“We take reports of subsidence very seriously, and an external assessment was carried out by WCJ Structural Engineers in July.
“Their report identified subsidence, and further investigations took place in October to ensure appropriate action is taken.
“We sent out a surveyor on October 28 to carry out an assessment into this, as well as any outstanding repairs that may be required.
“Our housing officer will continue to keep customers informed and provide regular updates.”
