Ref. 12440/3GAZETTE & HERALD: A housing association tenant in Calne has complained he is living in a house from hell and needs a catalogue of repairs done.

James and Linda Frayne, along with their two children aged ten and 13, moved to their home in Swaddon Street, owned by Knightstone Housing Association nearly four years ago.

But Mr Frayne complains that ill-fitting windows, a wobbly wall and kitchen units infested with woodlice have made their lives a misery.

"My wife and I have been living in this house for nearly four years now and the repairs have still not been done," he said.

"We contact our housing association regularly to do repairs but to no avail."

Mr Frayne said double glazing units in the front were replaced three years ago but the new windows did not fit properly and led to draughts.

He estimated his heating costs amounted to £30 a week in the winter as a result.

He also complained the bathroom wall rocked back and forwards, while tiles were falling off the wall in the kitchen. He claimed the kitchen units date back to the 1950s and said that woodlice come out from behind the kickboards at the bottom.

"We have lorries going past the house and the kitchen shakes and tiles fall off the wall, and we have big cracks there," said Mr Frayne.

"The radiators are rattling on the wall."

He said he had complained many times to Knightstone but the repairs were still not carried out.

Adrian Oldman, speaking for Knightstone, said Mr Frayne had raised a number of concerns with them and agreed the windows were draughty and needed replacing.

"The housing team went out there a couple of weeks ago and the maintenance team went there last Wednesday to go through the list," he said.

"The windows do not fit and seem slightly draughty and we have a programme of works in the next financial year to replace them.

"The kitchen units are 15 years old and some of the plinths are loose but the units and worktops are serviceable. They will be due for updating but not in the next financial year."

Mr Oldman said he understood the tenants had removed the tiles themselves but agreed the bathroom wall was unstable because it was a partition wall put up when a door was blocked up.

"We have placed an order to get it stabilised within the next three weeks," he said.

The maintenance manager for the area is due to meet Mr Frayne to discuss any outstanding issues.

"There is a long history of dissatisfaction with the property and a couple of complaints in the past," said Mr Oldman.

"We have been out there and noted concerns and have plans to rectify them."

Knightstone is one of the largest housing associations in the South West.

It has 11,000 properties and 25,000 residents, and covers 38 local authority areas as far afield as Hereford and Dorset. The association has an annual turnover of £34 million.