28-06-2025
I live in Britain's ‘WORST council house' with giant hole in ceiling, no carpet & disgusting graffiti daubed on walls
A MUM has said her family was left "terrified" after their council house ceiling started to cave in.
Helen O'Kane's two young children were playing outside when the chaos unfolded at their home in Birmingham on June 19.
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The mum's added that the gaff has been affected by a slew of other issues, making the family's living situation "depressing" and "horrible".
She told BirminghamLive: "My youngest son is terrified of walking past. My oldest son is just as worried.
"Even when I put them to bed at night, you can hear the floorboards creaking.
"It's making me tired and sore, my eyes are itching because of the dust. It's depressing and you feel dirty.
"I'm glad to have coffee mornings just to get out the house for a bit because it's horrible, I don't want to be here.
"You've got no pride and it just gets you down. It doesn't do much for your confidence in life."
A concern for the family is the cracked ceiling which is directly above the bedroom to four of her children.
Before the ceiling started to collapse, Helen's boiler leaked last year, another issue on a house with a history.
With graffiti on walls and wobbly floorboards, previous resident Dannii Canning referred to the "unliveable" property as an "absolute dump".
'The house was totally unlivable. I expected to replace some carpets or wallpaper, but nothing like that," Dannii said.
Our posh village is now ghost town strewn with empty homes
'They can't expect someone to accept such a dump."
Birmingham City Council paid the home a visit prior to the fateful incident and concluded that the property was safe and liveable.
The mum flagged the issue with the home's ceiling again but said she was let down by the response.
She added: "It's disappointing from the council. As a tenant, you just get used to it now.
"You get a sense that you should be grateful because you have a roof over your head."
A Birmingham City Council spokesperson said: 'We are aware of the ceiling issue at the property on Trescott Road and have been in contact with the resident.
"A number of repairs have been raised this year, with significant work completed as recently as June to remove damaged plaster and make the area safe.
'The most recent visit took place on June 19, 2025, where the operative confirmed further plastering is required.
"The area was made safe at that time, and a clean-up was carried out.
"Follow-on repairs are currently scheduled for July, as the work requires a two-person team and a longer appointment slot.
"We are actively exploring options to bring this date forward if possible.
'We will continue to monitor progress and work with our contractors to ensure the remaining repairs are completed as soon as possible.'
