A MUM of four caught up in a housing trap after being made homeless, has called for compassion and understanding after spending nearly three years living in a rat-infested stinking 'hellhole'.

Tina Eggleston, 44, lived in Thurrock in private rented accommodation for 13 years with her family, before they found themselves without a home in 2018 when the owners sold their rented property.

With a new-born child among her children at the time, she turned to Thurrock Council for help and she and her family were housed in 'emergency accommodation' in Southend.

It proved to be a move into the most awful conditions imaginable and though the family are currently living in a different property in Southend due to their initial lodgings becoming inhabitable, they face being forced back in the near future - a prospect that fills her with dread.

She has called on the council to help her and her family – but has met with flat rejection and a message that the council has 'no obligation to house them' – even though it has been paying their rent since they became homeless.

Tina takes up the story.

She told Thurrock Nub News: "I don't really know where to start as this has been going on for nearly three years now, and has caused extreme mental problems for me and my children and breathing problems for my three year old daughter among other things, so here goes.

"In 2018 myself and my four children found ourselves turning to the homeless section at Thurrock Council, due to our house being sold that we had lived in for 12 years. We were placed in emergency accommodation in Southend on 8 August 2018 and were told it would be for a maximum of 56 days. We are still here.

"The property we have been put in for most of this time is running with rats and full of damp. It is basically in the middle of derelict buildings; people dump their rubbish all around including our back garden as there is no fence,

"I have constantly phoned and emailed Thurrock Council, as have my health visitor and doctors. We have been ignored and we have not been moved.

"Thurrock Council have stated they no longer have a duty of care towards us anymore and they refuse to rehouse us although they are paying the rent at this property.

"Ever since we have been here the shower has leaked into the living room downstairs through the light which of course doesn't work. Also we could never use downstairs because of all the rats running even though we had Rentokil out often and I also put poison out myself,

"I have to use the kitchen to cook, regretfully. The drains are constantly blocked due to there being a pizza shop at each corner of where we are and the smell is horrendous.

"It's been going on so long that its causing a sinkhole and it's so dangerous. Last August the pipe in the small toilet burst, I had to get a professional out to sort it out, it flooded the entire living room downstairs and brought part of the ceiling down.

"I informed Rent Connects who run the property but little has been done. It wasn't even capped as the pipes kept leaking so we had to keep turning the water off from the mains constantly.

"Each bedroom is covered in damp and black mould which again Rent Connects know about but they have blamed us for the damp. There is damp throughout the kitchen and bathroom and the fitted furniture is rotten.

"I have constantly complained about the way we are living as it has affected my daughter's health. She has breathing difficulties. Also two of my sons suffer extremely with their mental health and living like this has made my 18 year old very, very poorly with his mental health. He has tried to take his own life. We just can't live like it no more.

"No matter where we seem to turn no one that can is helping us.

"As it stands now we had an emergency inspection five weeks ago due to so many people telling Rent Connects how dangerous the property is and within three days we were moved into another property.

"We are still in the other property which I must say is so nice as we can actually sit in a living room instead of being stuck eating, drinking, sleeping and everything else in the bedrooms. There is no damp or mould or disgusting smell, my daughters breathing is so, so much better here as well, but I have asked if we can stay here and been told a definite no.

"We have to go back to that disgusting place. My sons go there to pick up post and check on our furniture and they say it is disgusting. The rats are still there and because we haven't been there they have gone into the bedrooms now and have chewed the furniture, including my daughter's bed.

"Now pigeons have got in and they have messed on our furniture and everywhere.

"My son last went there on 5 April and there was a dead rat downstairs and a dead rat in his bedroom too. I dread to think where else they are and what we will find when we are sent back, I can't sleep at night thinking about it, we are really happy in this property my little girl can run around safely not stuck in one room because of the rats and smell of drains.

"Thurrock Council won't house us, Southend Council won't house us because we haven't been here for three years so we are stuck with wherever Rent Connects want to put us. We have tried to find private, I must have rung hundreds in the past couple of years but no one will take us because we are DSS so we are stuck.

"We just want someone to help us, I just don't know how much more I can take."

Thurrock Nub News passed all the information, and Tina's comments to Thurrock Council and received this response: "The council does not comment on individual cases.

"In cases where a resident becomes intentionally homeless through their own actions, Thurrock Council has no obligation to house them. However in such cases, the council always ensures they are provided with temporary accommodation and assistance in finding a privately rented property.

"All temporary accommodation is inspected by the council before residents move in to ensure it is of a suitable standard, is clean and appropriate. The majority of these inspections also involve the landlord taking photographic evidence of the accommodation at the start of the let which confirms the good standard of repair.

"Once in temporary accommodation, responsibility for repairs are managed by the landlord, not Thurrock Council, and issues must be reported in a timely manner to the landlord."