A woman has accused the council’s housing arm of treating her like a second-class citizen after she claimed contractors botched repairs to her property.

Heather Soper, who lives on Queens Road, said Barnet Homes gave her £50 worth of B&Q vouchers to pay for extensive damage to her home due to a water leak.

The 68-year old said her home was flooded twice because Barnet Homes and its contractors couldn’t find the source of the leak the first time they visited the property.

Ms Soper said: “Water came down the walls and damaged the wallpaper. The whole room will need painting.

“They have given me £50 of B&Q vouchers. They treat us worse than second-class citizens. They think I should be content with a few crumbs.”

She claimed that when they finally found the cause of the problem – a u-bend thread that needed replacing – the contractors installed a new plug mechanism in her sink without telling her.

Ms Soper said: “They never told me. When I went upstairs, I found it didn’t work. All they have said is ‘go through an insurer’.

“The contractors never told me they were putting in something that would not work the way it did. They don’t care.

“How dare they change what I have in my home? No-one told me anything.”

Ms Soper also said she has been without proper heating in her kitchen for three years due to mistakes made by Barnet Homes when refitting it.

She said she was told to use an electric blow heater instead – but this would cause a substantial increase to her heating bills.

Ms Soper, who suffers from arthritis, said Barnet Homes told her they would install a new radiator when she refitted her kitchen.

She added: “They have driven me mad for years. “They try and make everything the tenant’s fault.”

A spokesperson for Barnet Homes said: “We are aware of Ms Soper’s case and we are in communication with her to try and resolve a set of issues.”