A council tenant who suffers from PTSD camped in his garden in sub-zero temperatures after his ceiling collapsed just days before Christmas.
Michael Bardill moved into the property in Insch six months ago, and has spent some of his savings making it his own.
But on December 17 – when temperatures had plummeted – water ingress began to appear around the light fittings. Four hundred litres of water then whooshed through the ceiling.
The collapse triggered Mr Bardill’s PTSD, taking him back to a time when he was working as a war crimes investigator in the Balkans.
The 62-year-old – who also previously worked as a forensic archaeologist and magistrate – is registered disabled and has certain housing needs. He also does not drive.
So when Aberdeenshire Council offered him temporary emergency accommodation more than an hour’s away, he felt he could not go – leaving him no alternative but to camp in his garden.
Ceiling collapsed
Mr Bardill, of Denhill Road, said: “The entire ceiling collapsed on top of me. Other parts were starting to bow with the weight of water.
“I searched for the stop cock and could not find it where you would think it would be – under the sink – and my neighbour finally told me where it was.
“As is protocol I was put in touch with the relevant team, the homeless officer, and I was offered somewhere else to stay that night.
“What I was offered was more than an hour from my home, and there was no public transport to get there.
“I tried to explain to the homeless team how my PTSD limits what I can do.”
Mr Bardill claims the temporary housing he was offered was unsuitable for his complex needs. He lives in a bungalow and needed to be accommodated in a similar property.
Bad flashbacks brought on by collapse
Mr Bardill told the housing team he could not get to their suggested accommodation as there are no buses from Insch to Peterhead.
Left feeling like he had no other choice, he decamped to his garden – despite the sub-zero temperatures.
“I used to do war crimes work in the Balkan states in mass graves,” he said. “I am trained in outdoor survival.
“So I decamped to the garden in wet clothes and decided the safest place for me was in my tent.”
He explained the ceiling collapse had triggered back bad flashbacks from a time in 1995.
“At the time we were looking for mass graves, the Croatians were hunting us down in Kenin and we spent three-days in hiding until shelling brought the ceilings down around us,” he said.
“When this happened in Insch, it brought bad flashbacks to me – and I have been very worried since.
“Anyone who suffers with PTSD will understand just how scary this can be – and will understand why I needed to stay in a tent to begin with.”
Repairs could cost thousands
A friend stepped in to help a couple of days later.
Mr Bardill has since been given a fully-furnished house in Insch to stay in while repairs are carried out on his home.
The former Museum of London archaeologist said: “That is my real concern now. What was a relatively simple repair to begin with has now turned into a job that will cost tens of thousands.
“My home is a house that belongs to the council, and is therefore paid for by the taxpayer and yet it has been poorly maintained, and the house is now being damaged every day the repair is not being put right.
“On the Wednesday after Christmas I was brought one dehumidifier to dry out the house – but the root of the problem has still not been repaired. A contractor has brought me further dehumidifiers.
“I am paying for electric to run the dehumidifiers.”
He said his house was fully heated at the time of the incident and he had even purchased two new heaters.
My home is a house that belongs to the council, and is therefore paid for by the taxpayer and yet it has been poorly maintained, and the house is now being damaged every day the repair is not being put right.”
In his lease he had been told not to store anything in the attic, and not to go into the space at all. He pointed out he would be unable to climb up into the space regardless of the rules.
A spokeswoman for Aberdeenshire Council said: “We were made aware of the incident regarding burst pipes last week, repairs have been initiated and the tenant provided with appropriate support in accordance with our obligations.
“It is a tenants’ responsibility to ensure that appropriate household insurance is held.
“In addition a tenant is responsible for ensuring that the property is appropriately protected from the risk of damage as a result of cold weather.”
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