FAMILIES are facing spending Christmas in temporary accommodation, as major works to their home have been delayed after a second leak. Brooke House in Basildon Town Centre will be shut to residents for another three months.

The initial flood happened in July and residents have been unable to live there since. Families and residents are in "complete limbo" and have been in temporary accommodation since the flood, which almost fully submerged cars in the basement.

Basildon Council owns the high rise block which was built in the 1960s and is Grade II listed. The council has now written to residents to explain they cannot access it for a further three months after a "significant water leak", which took place in early October.

Posting on Facebook, residents claim they are being kept in the dark and that the council is treating the residents "like rubbish." They also claim they are not being fully communicated with.

Andrew Schrader, former councillor for housing under the Conservative administration, said the residents are going through a very tough time. He added: "You can't plan anything, you can't organise your life and you're living in a building which is falling apart around your ears. Living under those circumstances must be absolutely intolerable, can you imagine the stress of it all.

"They either have to rely on family or friends or spend Christmas in temporary accommodation. It's a very difficult situation to find yourself in. It appears to me the residents have been left in a state of complete limbo."

Basildon Council is set to spend around £16million on a major revamp of the block, which is 14 storeys and has 84 flats.

The council agreed the regeneration of the block back in June 2022. The plans include a ground-floor extension to create a new entrance, as well as upgrades to the roof, fire escapes, CCTV, insulation, cladding, and windows. The council has been relocating residents from the plats before works begin.

Basildon Council declined to comment.