A POLEGLASS mum has spoken about the terrifying moment her bathroom ceiling collapsed.
Tara Woods from the Colinvale said that she had growing concerns about the safety of her ceiling and reported it to the Housing Executive on a number of occasions.
“The actual night that the bathroom ceiling came through I was actually on the phone to the Housing Executive earlier that day saying I’m afraid of the roof coming in on top of my children,” Tara told the Andersonstown News.
On Monday night, the ceiling completely collapsed.
Tara added: “Before I moved into the house they were replacing the tiles in the bathroom upstairs, and they just slipped all the tiles under the floorboards. When the ceiling came in it was all really heavy tiles that came down through the ceiling too.
“Once the ceiling came through there was a joiner who came out to make sure there was nothing left to fall through. There was a rat’s nest and there was a dead rat hanging there.”
Tara said that the entire ordeal has left her children, who have underlying health issues, “really frightened".
“My main concern was that my children could have been in there and could have been seriously hurt or killed.
The damage caused after the roof collapsed 
“I have been asking the Housing Executive to do repairs to the house for years and it just keeps falling on deaf ears.
“I dread to think what would have happened if my child had of been in the bathroom that night when the ceiling came through. It was two black bags full of white tiles that came through the floor boards.”
However, this is not the first time Tara has experienced issues within her home.
“In January, I had another leak in the downstairs toilet going along the back of the wall. They sent the plumber out to fix it.
“On Tuesday 14th February, there was water coming outside my front door which was coming through the roof and in my bathroom upstairs. I could hear that there was water flying out of the bath. I rang the Housing Executive and for a leak they sent a joiner out instead of a plumber. The roof came through outside the front door and the plumber didn’t come out until 11:30pm that night.
“So once the water came from the bathroom up the stairs, the roof outside the front porch came through first and then six days later the ceiling in the toilet downstairs came through.”
Tara, who moved into the property seven years ago, said that her house has “never been right from the day and hour” that she moved in.
“It’s just been going on too long now. It really gets me down. It’s not a home.
“My kids and me are constantly getting sick because of the damp and mould. Even when the heat is on in the house it’s freezing. I’m paying £130 on gas every week alone.”
A Housing Executive spokesperson said: “We were made aware of a leak at a property in Colinvale on Monday evening (February 20).
“A plumber attended and carried out emergency repairs. Maintenance staff visited the property the next morning to make an assessment and a new ceiling has already been fitted.
“Our inspection showed no signs of mould at the property. A number of other, minor repairs are being arranged, including sealant for a window and new linoleum in the bathroom.
“We will continue to work with the family to ensure they have their issues fully resolved.”
