A LLANIDLOES tenant says he is on the verge of giving up hope in his battle to sort out long running problems in his rented flat.

Hafrenydd resident Colin Gledrie claims what began as a small area of mould in the bathroom of the property has persisted ever since he moved in on Christmas Day in 2011, but now the problem has infested the entire room. He says the property owner, Powys County Council, has been unwilling to help.

“I noticed it when I first moved in and the chap showing me round from the council said ‘don’t worry about it, we’ll get that sorted before you get in’, and that was seven years ago,” said Mr Gledrie.

“Eventually they sent someone round but they just painted over it. It went away for a while but the problem has just exploded since.”

He says the property suffers from a myriad of other minor problems, including a water leak above the kitchen which has caused damage to the ceiling. The kitchen tap is leaking and causes water damage if a container is not propped underneath, and the main light fitting in the kitchen has not worked for a year.

“It’s the same every time. They send someone round, they look at the problem and say someone will come back to fix it but no-one ever does. I’m just losing hope now to be honest,” he added.

Powys County Councillor for Llanidloes, Gareth Morgan said he was “astonished” at the condition of the property and believed urgent action was required.

“Clearly it’s been so badly maintained that I doubt it’s particularly healthy to live in it. If you look at the condition of the bathroom with the damp and the mould growing on the ceiling and the walls it’s quite appalling.

“This is a prime case for urgent action by the council and I hope that our maintenance men can get out and do it. They’ve been out apparently and promised the earth and done nothing as far as I can tell.”

Powys County Council moved quickly to arrange an inspection when contacted by the County Times earlier this week, but had been unable to gain access to the property to perform an assessment at the time of going to press.

A council spokesperson said: “The county council is aware of the concerns and is investigating, an inspection is due to take place shortly.”