RESIDENTS living in new townhouses in Colchester fear their roofs could fall off and hurt someone.

They say despite a month of constant calls to Taylor Wimpey, the builder has failed to organise repairs to mock Tudor panelling overlooking their back gardens, in Apprentice Drive, Mile End.

One resident, Gary Matthews, said he feared someone would get hurt if the panelling fell.

Mr Matthews said: “The back of the house has mock Tudor panelling.

“It’s now hanging on by a couple of bolts.

“It’s only a matter of time before the two bolts holding it up come away and it’s going to hit someone.”

Mr Matthews said it had already been fixed once, and he had already used two weeks of holiday to deal with that and other problems with a house he bought only last year.

He added: “This has caused me a lot of stress.

“If you’re on the patio below, you don’t know when those bolts are going to give way, so you really can’t sit out there.”

Mile End councillor Martin Goss said the roof needed to be fixed immediately.

He said: “There are a number of properties affected down there.

“The situation is far from acceptable, particularly when human life is at stake.

“Obviously, Taylor Wimpey needs to address this as soon as possible.”

Amy Taylor, spokeswoman for Taylor Wimpey, said: “We have discussed the situation with the company which installed the panelling, and it has agreed to correct the issue for the property owner.”