Hastings man '˜living in fridge' as eight-month wait for window fix continues

Darren Brown, 46, moved into Merrick House, in Salisbury Road, Hastings, in April and said two of his windows had to be screwed shut ‘to prevent the glass falling out’.

However, the screws have left him barely able to close his windows during the winter and unable to fully open them during the summer.

He said: “I have three windows in my flat so during the summer it’s like a greenhouse as I can’t get any air in and in the winter it’s like a fridge as I can’t fully close them.

“I’ve had to buy a fan for the summer and a heater for the winter.”

Mr Brown said he has reported the windows to Sanctuary Support Living – the owners of the property – but said each time he has been told the same thing.

He added: “I tell the people in the office here over and over again and each time they get the contractors out to look at my window.

“Every time they turn up with a member of staff and say ‘we can’t do anything about your windows until we put up scaffolding outside’.

“They don’t do anything about it but just say the same thing over and over again.

“They tell me they are safe when they are screwed shut but that’s not really the point.”

Mr Brown said he has reported a problem with his windows on six separate occasions since moving in in April.

He also insisted he is not the only tenant to experience problems with 12 others living in the building.

He said: “I know one of my neighbours can’t close his windows and there is another who can’t open them.

“It’s constantly cold in here and it’s such a pain that nothing is being done to address it.

“I’m running out of patience.”

Lynsey Squair, operations director for the maintenance and reinvestment at Sanctuary Supported Living, said: “We understand Mr Brown’s frustration and apologise for the time it is taking to repair the windows.

“We are in regular contact with our contractors and will work closely with them to ensure the required repairs are completed as soon as possible.”

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