A FAMILY was left fearing for the safety of their house after the bathroom ceiling collapsed.

Stacey Westgate, of Pattocks, Basildon, found the ceiling in her bathroom had fallen through on Friday morning.

The incident is believed to have been caused by missing tiles on the roof, allowing a build up of water in the loft.

The council house has been visited by several Basildon Council employees, and Stacey was concerned that the house was structurally unsound because of a waterlogged loft.

However, council contractors returned to the property yesterday to complete the repairs and confirmed there was no structural issues.

Stacey said: “There are holes in the tiles in the roof, so obviously rain came through and the ceiling must have given way under the pressure. We went into the loft and the floor was soaked through.

“If the ceiling in the bathroom has collapsed, will it be one of the kids’ bedrooms next?

“You can see all the watermarks on the pillars in the loft. When it collapsed you could see all the mould above the ceiling, god knows how long this has been happening.”

She added: “On Friday morning I heard a crash and the ceiling in the bathroom had completely collapsed.

“I called the council immediately and they said they would send someone out the same day, but no-one arrived and when I called the emergency department they sent out a plumber, but it is not a plumbing issue.

“They have sent a couple of workmen out since, but they have looked at the roof and barely been in the house.

“They have said they will replace the tiles, but the damage has been done already.”

A Basildon Council spokesman, said: “Our contractor, Morgan Sindall, attended the house in the Pattocks about a roof leak on the day it was reported.

“They returned to the property yesterday to complete repairs to the roof and check the damage to the ceiling and confirmed there are no structural issues.

“Our contractor made the ceiling safe by sheeting it over with polythene and have now arranged for a supervisor to visit the property on January 5 to inspect and agree the remaining work required.”