A DESPERATE mother-of-three is appealing for urgent repairs to her “dangerous” council home which she says is “no place” to raise her vulnerable children.

Lian Bird is a single mother who lives in a council house in West Street, Harwich, with her three sons.

She has been at her wit’s end since a window frame fell from the wall of her son’s bedroom during a storm last May.

Miss Bird is appealing for the window to be properly repaired and is urging Tendring Council to fix her “rotting” front door.

Her oldest son, 15, is undergoing treatment for depression, suffers from autism and has ADHD.

Miss Bird also looks after her 14-year-old son, Mark, and three-year-old Harry, who also has autism and sensory issues.

She said: “My oldest had to be at a secure unit last year, and when he came home, he took some of the glass off the broken window and self-harmed.

“He managed to do it before we realised what had happened and is now undergoing psychological treatment.

“He can’t stay in that room anymore because of the risk, so my three-year-old is in there now.

“But he can’t sleep as there is now a bird roosting in the window.

“It makes a racket and Harry is sensitive to noise at the best of times - it is even laying its eggs now.

“Any repairs just seem to be taking a very long time to do, I have been told the window cannot be looked at until September.”

“I contacted the paper as I just don’t know where else to turn.”

She added: “I am unable to work due to the demands of looking after my children and I don’t have a partner.

“My housing benefits may pay my rent, but the council still has ve a responsibility to maintain the home. It still gets paid rent. I have constantly told them it is not safe for my children.”

Miss Bird has also had inspectors visit her home to look at her door, which she says is rotting away, but no action has been taken to repair it.

“It is very difficult and I am finding it really hard, it is a full-time job to care for my kids,” she said.

“I am originally from Colchester and all of my family support is back there.

“I just want a safe home for my children.”

Nigel Brown, Tendring Council’s communications manager, said the council’s records show no complaint about damp or mould.

“However, now we have been made aware of this issue, we will be carrying out a survey of this property in West Street for damp and mould to look into the situation,” he said. “The records do show that work has been undertaken to ease and adjust the front and back doors.

“An order was also raised for a new window on May 5, but because this is a conservation area, we cannot use an off-the-peg window and one will need to be made to match the existing one.

“This will be done as quickly as possible and the new window fitted once it has been made.”