SCAFFOLDING put up by the council outside a woman’s home has been standing two months without any work being done.

Dawn West, 45, said she had badgered the council for years to replace her crumbling wooden fascias and clear out the guttering on her Rectory Close home in Grays before scaffolders arrived on May 12.

After the scaffolding had been put up at the back of the house she waited patiently for the work to start but, after a month, said she called the council only to be told her request for refurbishment had been “rejected.”

She said: “Someone was coming round once a week checking the scaffolding but they haven’t been round in a while and no work has been done at all – all the while I’ve got a pole right in front of my door and I’m constantly worrying about burglars.”

Little Thurrock Rectory councillor Rob Gledhill, who has spent months trying to get Ms West’s home said he was just as puzzled by the situation.

He said: “I asked officers for details about what’s been planned at the property nearly a month ago but I’ve still had no response despite chasing it up.

“The square we can’t quite circle is why you would put scaffolding up when you haven’t got a plan to do the work – it seems a dreadful waste of money and the house is in dire need of work.”

However, a council spokesman said the work would now be done by the end of the week and that contractual arrangements with the scaffolders meant no money had been wasted in the delay.

He said: “The council regrets that the decision on the level of works required took longer than it should have.

“To ensure the tenant is not inconvenienced again in the near future, the contractor is also carrying out minor remedial works to the front of the house this week.

“Our contractor, Mears, has accepted responsibility for this delay but the council also regrets that it failed to pursue progress on this repair and to keep the tenant informed.”