Council has let me live in a soaking flat for a year

I am a 91-year-old leaseholder in a block of flats owned by Wandsworth council. I'm living with saturated walls, dripping water and falling plaster because the council has failed to address a leak which began elsewhere in the block a year ago.

- Anna Tims

When I first reported it, contractors made a large opening in my kitchen wall to inspect a service duct which contains plumbing for 10 flats. The hole has never been made good and is now crawling with insects.

The council's plumbers have, over time, identified the possible source in various flats, stuck cards through the door asking the resident to get in touch, stuck more cards through when they got no response, then decided the leak was coming from a different floor.

I've been diagnosed with bladder cancer and given the deteriorating condition of my home, and the impact on my mental and physical health, I asked for the leak to be redesignated as an emergency, but this was refused.

The photo you sent of your kitchen is horrifying. A substantial section of wall around the inspection hole made by contractors is soaked, discoloured and crumbling. Mouldy debris is scattered along its base. These are hazardous conditions for anyone to endure, let alone a 91-year-old recovering from cancer treatment.