“I feel like my right to be a mother is being taken away”

One Vision Housing said it was actively engaging with the household to rectify a ‘complex repair’

A “stressed” mother said she and her five-year-old daughter had been without usable hot water for more than seven weeks and were unable to wash themselves or keep parts of the house clean.

Amy Parkinson, 30, from Netherton, is registered as disabled and her daughter is awaiting an autism diagnosis. Structure, routine and familiarity are therefore essential to one’s well-being. However, Amy said she had to take her daughter to different friends and relatives to get her daughter potty trained for the school day. As a result, mother and daughter become increasingly distressed.

The problems started almost two months ago when Amy started noticing black bits appearing in the hot water coming out of the shower and running like a bucket around the tub. Amy said: “I don’t know what’s floating in the water. So, is it safe to put my daughter in it?

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“What I do know is that whatever it is is disgusting. I have a plumber who says it’s corroded metal, then another plumber who says it’s melted rubber. So which is it? Anyway, I know it’s molten rubber.

Amy is a tenant of One Vision Housing who uses a company called Sovini to manage their internal maintenance and repairs. Amy explained that she had received several visits from Sovini contractors, but was no closer to having the problem resolved and still had no usable hot water.

A spokesperson for One Vision Housing said they actively engage with their tenant to “rectify a complex repair”: “We engage with the customer to rectify a complex repair issue and work to implement a permanent solution is in progress.

The spokesperson added: “Our primary concern is the well-being of our customer. We remain committed to providing a timely and satisfactory solution and will continue to work with the customer to offer support and reassurance.”

Amy hopes Sovini can solve the problem soon, as the prospect of going to Christmas without hot water is something she dreads. Amy takes her daughter to shower at her friend’s house who lives three blocks away and uses her mother’s house the other half of the week, a ten-minute drive away.

Amy added: “The weather has just turned cold and we have no hot water and the baby is sick. She is suspected to be autistic so she is struggling because she needs familiarity and routine. She will ask why we have dirty water and why we need to go take a shower somewhere else. It’s just ridiculous and we are both exhausted from it.

“I’m so stressed and I feel like they’re taking away my right to be a mom. I want to be able to bathe my kids in my own house and put them to bed.”