A MUM fears her young son could be crushed by a heavy glass door which she claims the council has failed to fix, despite it coming off its hinges on several occasions. 

Jade Craven, 20, who lives in a council flat in Greenstead, has grown seriously concerned for the safety of her two-year-old autistic child, Ronnie.

Over the last 12 months she says she has tried multiple times to get Colchester Council to fix a broken door on her balcony, but to no avail.

According to Jade, the large and heavy glass door, situated on the third floor, is prone to coming off its hinges and falling forwards.

After an initial conversation with the council, a “temporary fix” was put in place in February and Jade was informed the door would need new parts which would take up to six weeks to arrive.

Gazette: Cold - A photo showing the broken balcony doorCold - A photo showing the broken balcony door (Image: Jade Craven)

Since then, Jade says the situation has started to get worse and the balcony door has continually broken off and, even when propped back up, cannot be locked in properly.

She has now said her and her son are "living in disrepair", has accused the council of "dismissing" her concerns, and fears the door could either fall on her son or over the balcony and onto residents below.

She said: “I am scared for Ronnie’s safety, it is affecting me and it is affecting him.

“It is quite bad, I suffer with mental health myself, for this to be keep being dismissed, I continually feel let down by the council.

Gazette: Concern - Jade Kraven, 20, who lives in a council flat in Greenstead, has grown seriously concerned for the safety of her two-year-old autistic child, RonnieConcern - Jade Kraven, 20, who lives in a council flat in Greenstead, has grown seriously concerned for the safety of her two-year-old autistic child, Ronnie (Image: Public)

“It shouldn’t take for someone to get so low. I believe it is genuinely appalling that it’s nearly taken 12 months for the council to take me seriously.

“I want the council to know how it affects people when they treat people like this, especially as a young mum, it is genuinely awful.”

According to Jade, on Wednesday she was told by the authority nobody would be able to temporarily fix the door until the following day, leaving her flat open to the elements on a night when temperatures were set to plummet. 

Gazette: Not a quick fix - The door continually keeps coming off its hinges and is proving to be a safety concernNot a quick fix - The door continually keeps coming off its hinges and is proving to be a safety concern (Image: Jade Craven)

Gazette: Broken - Since the door first broke in January, the door cannot be locked at allBroken - Since the door first broke in January, the door cannot be locked at all (Image: Jade Craven)

In a letter seen by the Gazette, Essex Child and Wellbeing Services has since said it believes the council flat is not suitable for Ronnie's needs and is a safety risk.

According to the document, Ronnie displays energetic behaviour, a lack of language and an unawareness of danger.

Bosses at Colchester Borough Homes have now addressed the concerns raised by Jade.

A spokesman said: "We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused by the length of time it has taken to address the patio door issue at our tenant's property.

"We understand the concern that this issue has caused and are working diligently to resolve it.

“Given that the door is relatively new and there appears to be a fault, we will be looking to undertake a full inspection and repair as soon as possible.

"Once the outcome of this inspection is known, our asset management team will provide the tenant with a full update and take the necessary steps to address the issue promptly.

“We value our tenants' well-being and regret any inconvenience this issue has caused. We appreciate their patience and understanding as we work to rectify the situation.”