An Edinburgh mum has spoken of the grim conditions her young family is enduring while living in temporary council accommodation.
The mum-of-two has been forced to wash her children by the sink after a leak from a neighbour hit her bathroom. Suzy, 29, is now at her wits end after a month of trying to deal with it and the 'disgusting' issue is yet to be fixed.
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This comes as Scotland's homeless rate rose by 11 percent in 2022 from the previous year, marking the highest rate of open cases since records began in 2002.
The total number of households in temporary accommodation was also the highest on record at 14,458 and data showed that 9,130 children were in temporary accommodation on September 30 of last year.
Electricians and plumbers have been to Suzy's flat but she says Edinburgh Council has failed to solve the root of the problem with the leak still coming through and now mushrooms are sprouting on her ceiling.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, she said: "I think lately my mood has been a lot more down, and I think that's because I'm stuck inside all the time waiting for someone to come round and fix the leak. It's toilet water nonetheless. It makes me feel rubbish in my parenting because I can't give my kids a bath, I have to do it by the sink and I'm trying to potty train my three year old. I can't do that! She won't go in there, and we can't use the light.
"I'm frustrated, I'm sitting here waiting for plumbers and electricians every day but nothing is actually getting done upstairs."
She added: "There is a horrific smell of damp is the bathroom, there's yellow splashed of water, up the side of the bath, all over the toilet. It's disgusting! It's really gross. Then there were mushrooms. I've scraped them all away and bleached the whole place but there are still marks on the wall from the toilet water.
Suzy explained that she called an electrician when she noticed water was filling up in the bathroom light on March 7. She was told not to use the light, but ultimately until the leak is fixed in the apartment above, there wasn't much that could be done. Suzy said she was told earlier this month by the council that forced entry would be used in the flat above if the occupant wasn't in, but there was no sign of them.
Through the weeks, dirty water has poured down through Suzy's bathroom, causing her nine year-old son to slip and fall, hurting himself.
Speaking about the state of the bathroom, she said she doesn't feel like it's safe to use the bathroom - especially to bathe the children.
She added: "My dad told me to keep it like that for the council to see, but I couldn't live like that and my kids need to use the toilet. I just couldn't leave it, and I was thinking about going to environmental health."
"All my life I've always been a pushover, I've never had a backbone, but when it comes to your kids it changes everything. You become a different person and it's not fair that they have to live like this."
Since Edinburgh Live spoke to Suzy and raised the issue with the council, an official has visited her to see just how bad things had become.
A council spokesperson said: “We’re really sorry for the ongoing issue and the distress it has caused. We’ve made several visits to the property but have not been able to gain access. We have arranged for a plumber to attend again today and we’ll take whatever action is required to address this issue and support all tenants involved.”
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