Council chiefs have told a Bristol woman they would investigate why nothing was done for almost a year - after she complained that potentially hazardous tiny polystyrene balls were being blown into her flat every day. The young mum, named Michelle, first noticed the little white polystyrene balls had appeared in her kitchen last December, and since then she has to sweep or vacuum up about a plastic bag full every single day.
It is thought the little balls have been blown in to her flat in Bedminster through the extractor fans or ventilation outlets, which were replaced in December last year, and they are almost certainly leaking from the cavity wall insulation, but the influx is non-stop and the issue has taken over her life and affected her mental health.
The mother-of-one first told Bristol City Council of the bizarre issue before Christmas in 2021, but said nobody from the council would take her seriously, no one from the housing team had even came out to see the problem until recently, and they had treated her ‘very disrespectfully’. She turned to tenants union ACORN, which has immediately got results, forcing the council into addressing the issue as a priority.
Read more: Burst water main on Bristol road ongoing as route still closed after 18 hours - updates
“Michelle lives with her son in a council property, and has to deal with a carrier bag’s worth of polystyrene balls coming into her house and garden every day,” said ACORN organiser Sam Kidel. “It’s the cavity wall insulation and it started coming through the extractor fan ventilation in December last year.”
“They’ve been coming in every day, and Michelle reckons she vacuums up or sweeps up about a carrier bag full every day, which is obviously an absolute nightmare. These things get everywhere. She brought a bag full into the ACORN offices to show us and it’s here in the offices and they stick to things, they get everywhere.
“She’s told us how she’s found them in her food, she’s found them in the dog’s faeces, they are under every appliance, all around her kitchen, all over the garden. She went to the council and they treated her disrespectfully, and haven’t even come out to see what the issue is,” he added.
“Despite Michelle’s repeated pleas, the council has been dismissive, disrespectful and have shown a total unwillingness to engage with Michelle to solve this issue. The situation has been unfixed for 10 months, and is having a negative impact on Michelle’s mental health,” he added.
“Because the little balls clog up the ventilation in the flat, it’s now afflicted with damp and mould. She is a domestic violence support worker during the day and has been forced to spend her free time fighting for herself,” he added.
Michelle said she had reported the issue around 15 times to the council, but no solution had been found, and that she was at her wits’ end.
A spokesperson for Bristol City Council admitted the situation was ‘clearly unacceptable’. "This is clearly an unacceptable issue and needs to be investigated immediately,” he said. "Our Response Repair Team are contacting the resident today to arrange a visit and carry out urgent works needed to find a solution which can be put it in place as soon as possible. Further inquiries will be made as to why no action has been taken sooner,” he added.
Read next:
The Bristol mum taking on adventures as her sight deteriorates
How Ashton Gate Sporting Quarter will change South Bristol in years to come
Care home village site could be turned into hundreds of flats
Case against Bristol cyclist prosecuted for filming driver on phone is dropped
Brislington Meadows: Government will ask itself if it can build homes there
To keep up-to-date with the latest South Bristol news, join our community of subscribers with my South Bristol newsletter here.
