An asthmatic Morden woman claims she had to spend Christmas in a sodden flat after Merton Council dragged its heels over repairs following a flood two weeks earlier.

Council tenant Dee Morris, 26, claims she was confined to the living room of her ground floor flat for most of December after water being pumped into her upstairs neighbour's 6ft x 4ft fish tank gushed through her bedroom ceiling.

But Merton Council deny her flat was damp over Christmas and claim it has offered to make good the damage and put in an insurance claim for replacement furnishings.

Miss Morris returned to her Glastonbury Road home on December 2 to discover the watery surprise.

Firefighters pumped out the flat but walls, floors, carpets and furnishings were inevitably left sopping wet - which, Miss Morris says, worsened her asthma. She has not seen her neighbour since before the accident.

She claims her doctor told her not to live in the flat until it was dry but she had nowhere else to go and that although a council official and a surveyor visited just before Christmas, she was told nothing could be done immediately.

"The council said nothing could be done until the new year but it could have been doing something during the weeks after it happened.

"I had no family to go to over Christmas so just had to put up with it," she said.

Colin Mayhead, interim head of housing operations, told the News: "This was an unfortunate incident and Ms Morris has our sympathies, especially considering the time of year.

"We surveyed her property's walls and ceiling around the affected area and assured Ms Morris the property was sound and the area dry.

"There was minimal damage to a small area of finishing plaster and we'll make repairs at the earliest opportunity.

"We have also agreed to decorate the hall and front bedroom at a convenient time for Ms Morris.

"We will also be submitting insurance claims for Ms Morris for her affected carpets and contents."

December 28, 2001 15:01