A ROWLEY Regis family is celebrating after a “three year nightmare” ended after botched building work caused their home to be virtually unliveable.

Blackheath Councillor Mary Docker launched a one-woman war on behalf of Lisa Hughes after visiting her home and seeing her living in the dark due to flooding and blown electrics.

Cllr Docker said: “The family were at their wits end when they contacted me because the work they had done to fit a wet room three years ago for their autistic son Sam, aged 14, had caused countless problems.

“There had been leaks since day one and then in January the downstairs ceiling started to bow due to all the leaking water and the electrics ended up blowing.

“Lisa had to cope with all this stress after just giving birth to another baby and was getting nowhere with trying to get it all fixed.”

Three years ago Miss Hughes had been granted a £7,000 grant from Sandwell Council and its adaptions department contracted the work out to D Groves Electrical Building Contractors Ltd.

Leaking began immediately and after years of complaints to Sandwell Council, Trading Standards and the contractors nothing was done and the family called Cllr Docker as their last hope.

Cllr Docker said: “This is why I became a councillor for and I wouldn’t take no for an answer, initially the contractors denied liability but with perseverance and countless phone calls from me I set up a site visit and it was agreed that the wet room would be replaced without charge.

“I was delighted that the managing director of the contractors David Groves even agreed to replace the ruined landing and stairs carpet at his own expense.”

Lisa, aged 39, said: “It was absolute nightmare for three years with water pouring through the ceiling and I was at my wits end when all the electrics blew and I was trying to look after a newborn baby.

“I must have spent days on the phone over the years but no-one listened to me and at one stage they even blamed my autistic son for the damage.

“In the end my mother got hold of Mary Docker and she managed to get it all sorted but it still angers me that it took a councillor to get involved for anything to get done.”