A FAMILY from Barrow have had to endure living in freezing cold conditions after a council took nine months to seal up the windows of their house.

Mother-of-six, Cher Neale, 34, and her husband Chris, 35, have been left financially crippled after having to spend double the amount of money on gas to heat up their home which they have rented from Barrow Borough Council for almost three years.

In February, the council promised to install new doors and windows in their property in Pascway Terrace, Barrow, and put foam around the window next to the front door as a temporary measure.

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Mrs Neale claimed that council staff said they would re-plaster around her windows and fix a new door within five weeks but she had to wait until last Monday for the maintenance team to seal up the window.

She is still waiting for a new door to be fitted despite what was said by the council's housing department.

Mrs Neale, who works as a lollipop lady, has claimed that she rang the council up to 30 times to try and get the problem sorted but they never arranged a time and date to come round and carry out the work.

She said: "They just send people around without making any appointments. I can't be expected to be in all day every day because I have a job."

As the bills increased, Mrs Neale's woes were then aggravated when her family faced eviction after being slapped with a notice to pay more than £200 in rent arrears.

Mrs Neale made the decision to spend more on heating to keep her daughter Izabella, 12, warm after she was diagnosed with mixed connective tissue disease shortly after the draft started coming in.

Mrs Neale added: "I had to prioritise keeping my daughter warm and according to them I shouldn't have been. It has been horrible. I am working as much as I can to pay all this money and I still haven't got enough and it's all down to the council.

"If my window had been sealed earlier I would not have had to pay so much in gas and pay for heat pads that Izabella desperately needs to keep warm.

"The council have really let us down. They are meant to be better than any other landlord but they haven't been for us."

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Ormsgill councillor Bill McEwan reported the family's dilemma to the council and was left frustrated when he was informed by Mrs Neale that they denied all knowledge of his complaint.

He said: "As far as I was concerned this matter was being dealt as I reported this matter. For her to be waiting this long in my book is not acceptable and I am also not to happy to be told that I never reported it."

A letter of apology has since been sent to Mrs Neale from Les Davies, who is the maintenance and asset manager for Barrow Borough Council.