An Isle of Wight pensioner claims he's been left cold, hungry and made to "paddle through wet hallways" as the long wait for his housing provider to fix a gaping hole in his ceiling continues, but Southern Housing insists it is taking action.

Roger Rhodes, who lives in Wroxall, has said he has been forced to live in a "complete nightmare" for months — including over Christmas.

The 74-year-old said he has made "dozens of calls" to the provider but, as of today, little to no action has been taken to fix the issues.

Southern Housing told the Isle of Wight County Press it is "sorry" Roger is experiencing issues.

Isle of Wight County Press:

It said scaffolding was erected last week and "more in-depth work" will be carried out as weather conditions allow.

Scroll down for the statement in full.

It was in October last year when Roger said he first noticed water leaking through a light in his kitchen.

The bulb was taken out and the light was disconnected by Southern Housing staff, he said, but the damage was not fixed.

Things got worse for Roger when part of his ceiling collapsed at 1am on one night in October. What is left is a gaping hole.

Isle of Wight County Press:
A hole left in the ceiling at Roger's house.

Isle of Wight County Press:

The light in Roger's kitchen.

He told the Isle of Wight County Press the hole means he won't put the heating on for fear of wasting money.

And he hasn't used his oven since October because of safety concerns with his electrics.

He said: "It's been a complete nightmare. Most days I've been having to go out to get something to eat because I consider it too dangerous to be cooking in the kitchen where there's water constantly everywhere.

"I've been having to paddle through wet hallways or having to dodge drips coming from the ceiling. It's just been a total nightmare.

"Plus the fact that being this time of the year it's been cold and any heating that I put on goes up straight through the roof."

Isle of Wight County Press:

As well as going out for food, Roger has also had to buy a gas heater to keep warm.

He said he is "fed up" and just wants the damage fixed.

A spokesperson for Southern Housing said: "We’re sorry Mr Rhodes is experiencing ongoing issues with a leaking roof that was first reported to us October 24, 2022.

"Our inspection shows the roof hasn’t collapsed and we’re working with our specialist contractors to resolve the leak and the other issues.

"We’ve made some repairs to the roof to date, however the resident has reported the leaks have continued. On January 4, 2023, our contractors erected scaffold in order to fully inspect the roof and we’ve established more in-depth work is required. This is scheduled for completion as soon as weather conditions allow.

Isle of Wight County Press:

"An electrician has also attended the home to install a safe kitchen light fitting, but there are no other known risks to any other appliances due to the water leak. If the resident has concerns, he should report these to us.

"There has also been some ceiling damage within the internal hallway, which we’ve made safe. This will be fully repaired once we’re confident the roof leak has been resolved.

"We’ve met with Mr Rhodes to explain our progress with the work to his home and we’ll continue to liaise with him until all repairs are completed."