0:00:02 > 0:00:05The law says everyone has the right to a safe place to live.
0:00:05 > 0:00:07- Seen those flies?- Yeah.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09But for thousands of people across Britain,
0:00:09 > 0:00:11the reality can be more hovel than home.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Just vermin, vermin, filth.
0:00:15 > 0:00:16Ooooh!
0:00:16 > 0:00:18It's not me, it was the landlord.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21In the battle between tenants and landlords,
0:00:21 > 0:00:25it's local housing officers who are on the front line.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28- Yes?- We're coming in.- No, no. - The police are...- Excuse me.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30I'm Matt Allwright.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32I'm trying to understand how the property
0:00:32 > 0:00:37could be in this condition while rent is still coming in.
0:00:37 > 0:00:38I'm back on the job,
0:00:38 > 0:00:41once again joining the ranks of the housing enforcers.
0:00:41 > 0:00:42Smells like pee.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44This is somebody's playground.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46They're tackling problem properties...
0:00:46 > 0:00:49It just feels like a time bomb.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52..dealing with the consequences of nightmare neighbours...
0:00:52 > 0:00:54He called me a BLEEP.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56..and doing their best to help those in need.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00We can stand here and look at the very rich people looking back down.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10Today, one housing officer is getting a whiff of deja vu.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12How many months ago was it we had this place cleaned?
0:01:12 > 0:01:16- I know, I...- Look at the state of your kitchen.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18And I meet one council tenant
0:01:18 > 0:01:21who hopes her new home will change her life.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25In six months' time, what would you like to have happened?
0:01:25 > 0:01:28To get off drugs and be a mum again.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30I just want to be a mum.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36They say an Englishman's home is his castle,
0:01:36 > 0:01:41but if that place is rented, it's the job of housing officers
0:01:41 > 0:01:43to make sure it's a decent place to live.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46The keep an eye on landlords to make sure the property
0:01:46 > 0:01:50is up to scratch, and on some tenants to make sure
0:01:50 > 0:01:52they're keeping their half of the bargain.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57Empty dwelling management orders, compulsory purchases,
0:01:57 > 0:02:00possession orders and evictions -
0:02:00 > 0:02:02I'm learning that local authorities have got a whole host
0:02:02 > 0:02:07of legal powers to deal with recalcitrant owners and tenants.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11If you do evict somebody, then, you know, as a council,
0:02:11 > 0:02:15you've still got the duty to house them somewhere. So...
0:02:15 > 0:02:18If they get evicted, they will eventually go full circle
0:02:18 > 0:02:21and come back to have a council property.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23In the interim period, yes, it may well be
0:02:23 > 0:02:25that they have to get picked up as homeless,
0:02:25 > 0:02:28put in bed-and-breakfast or something like that.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31But ultimately, they will end up back with us.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35Here in Babergh, Suffolk,
0:02:35 > 0:02:38I'm also learning that enforcement isn't always the answer,
0:02:38 > 0:02:41even when a problem council tenant is testing the patience
0:02:41 > 0:02:44of a community housing officer like Ian Watson.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50One of the problems that we have with our tenants is
0:02:50 > 0:02:53some people don't keep their house particularly clean and tidy.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55It is part of the tenancy agreement,
0:02:55 > 0:02:59but some people are not quite as tidy as others.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04Today, Ian is on his way to visit a council tenant
0:03:04 > 0:03:07who's been on his problem list for a while.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10We're going to a little village called Lavenham.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12I do have to say, in general terms,
0:03:12 > 0:03:16most of our council tenants do look after their properties,
0:03:16 > 0:03:21do keep them in good order, but you get the odd one or two
0:03:21 > 0:03:25that have got different lifestyles, so to speak.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32This tenant has been here for around 20 years,
0:03:32 > 0:03:33but Ian wants to talk to him
0:03:33 > 0:03:36about fresh complaints from the neighbours.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39HE KNOCKS ON DOOR
0:03:39 > 0:03:42The first problem is to actually find him.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46Let me go round the front.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49I will try, unless he's asleep.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51Howie?
0:03:51 > 0:03:52I shouldn't really go in,
0:03:52 > 0:03:57but I do have a little bit of concern that he might be in the bedroom.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00As the door's unlocked, I really should secure it.
0:04:00 > 0:04:01Alistair!
0:04:01 > 0:04:05Eventually, Ian obtains his elusive customer - Alistair Howe,
0:04:05 > 0:04:0985 years old, and a long-term council tenant.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12Now, I will tell you here and now,
0:04:12 > 0:04:15I've been here today, I was concerned, all right?
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Your front door was not locked. It's not shut.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20I know, but I couldn't get any response.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23- The dog wasn't even barking or anything.- I was in the bedroom.- No.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25- Well, I had to go in, Ali.- Did you?
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Yeah, I did, because I thought you might have been lying on the floor.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30- Oh, very kind of you.- You know what I mean, all right?
0:04:30 > 0:04:33Considering your age and everything.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36But the other thing I need to speak to you about is inside again.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39- I know, but can't do everything. - Can we go and have a look?
0:04:42 > 0:04:4618 months ago, the council spent £2,000
0:04:46 > 0:04:49and brought in a local charity to help clean up Ali's flat.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52But Ian has had worrying reports from the neighbours
0:04:52 > 0:04:55about the condition and the smell.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58- Now, Ali...- So, what do you want to say?
0:04:58 > 0:05:02How many months ago was it we had this place cleaned?
0:05:02 > 0:05:03I don't know.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06You know, we had everything out the bedroom, the lot, didn't we?
0:05:06 > 0:05:09There's been a lot of stuff been chucked in here.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13- Yeah, I know, but look at it. - The dog's...
0:05:13 > 0:05:16Well, the dog never barked when I came in first time.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20As I say, I was more concerned you were lying on the floor.
0:05:20 > 0:05:21Good old boy.
0:05:21 > 0:05:26- But Howie, I mean, look.- I know... - Look at the state of your kitchen.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28I know, and I...
0:05:28 > 0:05:30You know?
0:05:30 > 0:05:31I've got... I've got to get cooking...
0:05:31 > 0:05:34- I know, but we had all this steam cleaned.- I know!
0:05:34 > 0:05:36Well...
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Howie, I thought we'd steam cleaned all this bath?
0:05:40 > 0:05:44- Oh. Did what?- We'd steam cleaned all this bath and toilet.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49Yeah, but look at the state of your bathroom again.
0:05:49 > 0:05:50I can't be here and everywhere.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52Are you going to move, or what are you going to do?
0:05:52 > 0:05:55- Cos I want to get some grub cooked. - You want to get some grub.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57Well, look, you've got my number.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00I'm going to come back and see you in a fortnight,
0:06:00 > 0:06:02- all right?- You will. You sure?- Yes.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04And I expect to see it a little bit cleaner.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07- You need to make an effort yourself. - Well, what I was going to do,
0:06:07 > 0:06:10I want to get a skip in and chuck everything in the skip.
0:06:10 > 0:06:11DOG BARKS
0:06:11 > 0:06:16- I can't supply you with another skip at this stage.- You can't?- No.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20Because you ought to be keeping control of what you've got here.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23You know?
0:06:23 > 0:06:27Ali may be happy living like this, but Ian knows he has to act,
0:06:27 > 0:06:30for the sake of the property, the neighbours, and Ali himself.
0:06:30 > 0:06:35As you can see, he's not looking after himself. I can't...
0:06:35 > 0:06:38He won't engage with social services or anybody.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40It's quite frustrating,
0:06:40 > 0:06:44because we paid quite a lot of money last time to have this cleared up.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48But as I said before we came out here, he seems to survive very well.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50He's sprightly enough,
0:06:50 > 0:06:54and his health doesn't seem to be that bad.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57I don't think that I could be the same
0:06:57 > 0:07:00under the same set of circumstances, unfortunately,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03but I'll come back in a couple of weeks and we'll try and start again.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05Pork chop, look.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Ten minutes, that'll be done.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17So, will Ali cooperate,
0:07:17 > 0:07:21or is he drinking in a last chance saloon?
0:07:21 > 0:07:23- I want to be left alone, mate. - Right. Yeah, yeah.
0:07:28 > 0:07:29Salford in Manchester
0:07:29 > 0:07:33is one of the country's most deprived inner-city areas.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35Being a housing officer here means often dealing with
0:07:35 > 0:07:38vulnerable people, and that requires special skills.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42Vicky Fitton has worked in this borough for 13 years.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44Today, she's on her way to visit Donna,
0:07:44 > 0:07:47a drug-addicted mother who's keen to be rehoused.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51You never quite know what you're walking into with Donna.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55We tend to be dealing with other issues or at crisis point,
0:07:55 > 0:07:57as opposed to housing issues,
0:07:57 > 0:07:59so you're never sure what you're walking into.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01I don't know how to cope.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04I've been on drugs more than I've been off drugs.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08I started at the age of 14. I'm 35 now.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10She does have quite complex needs.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13There's mental health,
0:08:13 > 0:08:17debt, drugs, there are other things that we...
0:08:17 > 0:08:20We really need to get her out of there to get her somewhere safe,
0:08:20 > 0:08:23and then we can address all the other issues.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26It's a vicious circle I've got into.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28I don't know how to live without drugs.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31And it's only amphetamines and weed,
0:08:31 > 0:08:33but it's still bad enough to get your kids took.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38There's nothing worse than being a mum who's had their kids took,
0:08:38 > 0:08:40and classed as one of them mums.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Donna's addiction resulted in the authorities
0:08:43 > 0:08:46removing her two young daughters to her sister's.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48That's where they've been living for the past 18 months.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51I wasn't bad with my kids. I was a good mum.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53But we all say that. That's what you say,
0:08:53 > 0:08:57because you're that embarrassed. And they take your confidence,
0:08:57 > 0:09:00they take every bit of respect you've got about yourself
0:09:00 > 0:09:02instead of helping you.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06To make matters worse, Donna's fallen badly behind on her rent,
0:09:06 > 0:09:08and because her children no longer live with her,
0:09:08 > 0:09:10she wants to move to a smaller property,
0:09:10 > 0:09:14where she's not constantly reminded of the daughters she's lost.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20And I don't what they're like at night now for going to bed.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24I don't know if they have a story. I don't know anything my kids do.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27I don't know what toys they like, what size shoes they are.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30I had to phone my mum and ask, "Mum, what size?"
0:09:30 > 0:09:33And I should know that, because I'm the mum.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38It's a sad situation, but when Vicky meets her client today,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41she has got something positive to share.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43- Hi.- Hiya, Donna, you all right?
0:09:43 > 0:09:45How's it going, then, Donna? Everything all right?
0:09:45 > 0:09:48- Going all right, yeah. Yeah. Getting there.- Excellent.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Well, I've got a bit of good news.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55Do you remember when Rebecca assessed you
0:09:55 > 0:09:57and we found out that you were in rent arrears?
0:09:57 > 0:09:59Well, I've got confirmation
0:09:59 > 0:10:03that they're going to pay the discretionary housing payment.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06They're going to backdate it to wipe your arrears.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09So that's really, really good news. All your rent arrears are gone.
0:10:09 > 0:10:10With the slate wiped clean,
0:10:10 > 0:10:14the most pressing thing now is to find Donna somewhere new
0:10:14 > 0:10:17to live away from an area where she feels she's being harassed.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19- To be honest, we need to get you off this street, don't we?- Yeah.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Yeah, we need to get you off the street. Because you're not safe.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25And the recent black eye is another cause for concern.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29I was getting through the window and I slipped and...
0:10:29 > 0:10:31- Yeah?- Yeah.
0:10:31 > 0:10:36You do know that you can ring me if you need any help
0:10:36 > 0:10:37or you need safety?
0:10:37 > 0:10:39- Yeah, yeah, I know that.- Yeah?
0:10:39 > 0:10:43It's been the most hardest two years of my life. But I done it.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46Well, like I said, as long as you know that if you do need us
0:10:46 > 0:10:50or you do need to be put somewhere, we can sort that out for you, Donna.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53- There's no need to sit here and be afraid.- No, I know, I know.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57But when they take your kids, it's like, I don't care,
0:10:57 > 0:11:00cos it's the worst pain you could ever think.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02- Yeah, you need to block it out.- Yeah. - Nobody can blame you,
0:11:02 > 0:11:05and nobody can understand what you've gone through, Donna.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07Let's get yourself sorted, healthy, confident
0:11:07 > 0:11:10and then you can be the best mum that you possibly can be.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12It might take time, but Vicky's optimistic
0:11:12 > 0:11:15that Donna's situation is about to change for the better.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18She's definitely more positive since we became involved
0:11:18 > 0:11:20and the rent arrears have gone
0:11:20 > 0:11:24and the registration on Salford Home Search is up and running.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26It's that little glimmer of hope that she can cling to
0:11:26 > 0:11:29and, fingers crossed, we'll be able to get sorted out.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32Coming up, Donna's future is looking a lot brighter.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34I am dead excited, though, you know?
0:11:34 > 0:11:37I feel like, God, I shouldn't be this excited.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48Here in Babergh in Suffolk,
0:11:48 > 0:11:5385-year-old Ali Howe has been a council tenant for over 20 years.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56But in recent years, the condition of his flat
0:11:56 > 0:11:59has been a major worry for housing officer Ian Watson.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02How many months ago was it we had this place cleaned?
0:12:02 > 0:12:04I don't know.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07You know, we had everything out the bedroom, the lot, didn't we?
0:12:07 > 0:12:12Today, Ian's going back to see if he can work out a solution with Ali.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18I don't expect there to be any change
0:12:18 > 0:12:21from the last time that we were there. The trouble is,
0:12:21 > 0:12:24he's, as I said, 85 years old.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27He's set in his ways. It's his lifestyle.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33Today, Ian's brought in reinforcements once again.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Let's just hope Ali is there this time.
0:12:39 > 0:12:44- Good morning.- Watch your step. - Yeah, I know. Yeah.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49Looks like they're already here, and they've got their work cut out.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52It's pretty much how it was before.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55Once again, Ian's enlisted the help of Emma, David
0:12:55 > 0:12:59and Matthew, from local company Stepping Stones, who specialise
0:12:59 > 0:13:02in providing support for vulnerable people in their homes,
0:13:02 > 0:13:05to assess just how much work Ali's flat needs.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09The whole thing took three...
0:13:09 > 0:13:14About 46 hours, all in all.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17So it's about three days' work.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19Cleaning out the fridge as well, just to make that sanitary,
0:13:19 > 0:13:24cos it's not. We would make sure everything is sanitary for him.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27While Stepping Stones assess the state of the flat,
0:13:27 > 0:13:30Ian's trying to pin down his elusive tenant.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34If I can't get hold of you, I can't arrange anything.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36Right? But you imagine the amount of time
0:13:36 > 0:13:39that I have to spend trying to get hold of you to make arrangements.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42That takes my time up, just trying to get a hold.
0:13:42 > 0:13:47So if you can get your phone working and tell me what the number is,
0:13:47 > 0:13:49at least I'd be able to ring you, wouldn't I?
0:13:49 > 0:13:52A big part of the housing officer's job is trying to help
0:13:52 > 0:13:54those tenants who just don't want to be helped.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59Obviously it definitely needs to be a lot more sanitary than this.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02It's definitely not smelling too pretty, is it?
0:14:02 > 0:14:04HE LAUGHS
0:14:04 > 0:14:06If we cleared this all up for you,
0:14:06 > 0:14:09how would we be able to help you maintain it
0:14:09 > 0:14:11so it wouldn't get back to this again?
0:14:11 > 0:14:15- Well, get somebody to come in and help me.- What, on a regular basis?
0:14:15 > 0:14:18- Yeah.- Once a week? Something like that.- Something like that. That would help you
0:14:18 > 0:14:20- keep on top of this?- I reckon so.
0:14:22 > 0:14:23As sympathetic as Ian is,
0:14:23 > 0:14:26he also has the other tenants to think about,
0:14:26 > 0:14:29as well as the condition of the council housing stock.
0:14:29 > 0:14:30This can't go on.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33Not just for your sake, but for the neighbours' sake, all right?
0:14:33 > 0:14:37- There's nothing wrong with... - I know what YOU think, but OK...
0:14:37 > 0:14:39But we're prepared to do it again, all right?
0:14:39 > 0:14:42But you're going to have to manage it afterwards.
0:14:42 > 0:14:43We can't come back again.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46How are you getting on with all of this?
0:14:48 > 0:14:50- Are you?- Yeah.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53What is it you is it you don't like about this? Cos everybody's...
0:14:56 > 0:14:58Poor old boy, you know what I mean?
0:14:58 > 0:15:01'Talking to Ali, I don't think it's sunk in with him
0:15:01 > 0:15:04'just how much enforcement power the council has,
0:15:04 > 0:15:07'but for Ian, eviction isn't the answer -
0:15:07 > 0:15:08'not yet, anyway.'
0:15:10 > 0:15:13Anyway, big improvement already?
0:15:13 > 0:15:17- Yeah? You happier?- I'm always happy.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20- I mean, we are, we are looking at dog muck, aren't we?- We are.
0:15:20 > 0:15:26- On almost every ground surface. - In the washing machine.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29Dog muck around the washing machine and inside.
0:15:29 > 0:15:34I've just had to wipe it all out. But, you know, all done now.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39The main thing is to sanitise everything with bleach.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43I mean, there's certain things you're going to make a difference with
0:15:43 > 0:15:46and certain things not, ie, the paint on the walls and that -
0:15:46 > 0:15:48that's never going to look clean, is it?
0:15:48 > 0:15:52But certainly the sanitation of the toilet and sink is...
0:15:52 > 0:15:54You can see the toilet.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56That's it. Before, this morning, you couldn't.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00Wow, what a difference.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03If you looked at it on paper, you'd see, oh, you know,
0:16:03 > 0:16:06this is a troublesome tenant - when you meet Ali, he's lovely.
0:16:06 > 0:16:07He's a great guy.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11He's got real joy about him, and it's not somebody you could
0:16:11 > 0:16:15ever really dream of putting out on the street or evicting.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17- It just doesn't...- No.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20That doesn't work when you bring in that human aspect of it
0:16:20 > 0:16:22and you meet the guy face-to-face.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26Exactly, and he's a likeable character, regardless, so...
0:16:26 > 0:16:29But, yeah, hopefully we'll get somewhere.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32He is, as they say in Suffolk, a good old boy.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35Fingers crossed this time he'll keep his flat clean.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44Allerdale in Cumbria.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48It's an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
0:16:48 > 0:16:51in the heart of the Lake District.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54But beneath the picturesque patchwork of lakes,
0:16:54 > 0:16:57valleys and fells lies something a bit more sinister.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06Environmental health technician Rachel Carr is on the way
0:17:06 > 0:17:09to meet a home owner who's had issues with his water supply.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13Going to just do some routine water testing.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16It does normally pass for bacteria and things like that,
0:17:16 > 0:17:20but we have had a few problems with arsenic.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24That's right, crime fiction fans, she said "arsenic".
0:17:26 > 0:17:29As soon as people hear arsenic, it's like, "Oh!"
0:17:29 > 0:17:32But it's naturally occurring in the land.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35Yes, it may be a favourite of murder mystery writers,
0:17:35 > 0:17:39but arsenic is actually an element found in rocks, soil and sediment.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43This part of the Lake District is so remote, many homes
0:17:43 > 0:17:46and businesses don't have a mains water supply.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50Instead, they source their water from the fells,
0:17:50 > 0:17:53but there can be arsenic in the ground,
0:17:53 > 0:17:57and in high doses it can make the water toxic and difficult to treat.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00When we get problems with bacteria in the water, we do advise
0:18:00 > 0:18:03that you boil the water to kill any bacteria,
0:18:03 > 0:18:05but you can't achieve that with arsenic.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08It's there, and if you boil the water, you're just going to
0:18:08 > 0:18:10concentrate the level that's there.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15With boiling not an option, the water has to be properly filtered.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18If it's not, levels of arsenic can build up in the body
0:18:18 > 0:18:21and increase the risk of kidney failure or even lung cancer.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31- Hi, Rachel, how are you doing? - Hiya, are you all right?
0:18:31 > 0:18:34- I'm doing champion.- Good, good. That time of year again.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37Retired builder Alistair lives in a converted mountain shelter
0:18:37 > 0:18:39called a bothy.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42He also shares his water supply with two holiday homes.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46So, your water majors from up on that fell there, doesn't it?
0:18:46 > 0:18:50Our water comes actually from the top of Clough Head.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54We have a spring that comes just slightly over to the side.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56So just about there.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59Well, the whole of the top of the fell kind of supplies
0:18:59 > 0:19:02the aquifer that comes out to the spring.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05The top of Clough Head, it's very craggy here, but once you get
0:19:05 > 0:19:07to the top, it changes quite dramatically,
0:19:07 > 0:19:10it goes into a kind of rolling landscape
0:19:10 > 0:19:14with some quite big peat bogs which, of course, is a big sponge.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17It holds the water, so that really helps preserve
0:19:17 > 0:19:21- our water supply all through the summer.- Right.
0:19:21 > 0:19:22But a previous water test found
0:19:22 > 0:19:25potentially dangerous levels of arsenic.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28Alistair had to install a special filtration system.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Here's the equipment, Rach.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34And Rachel needs to check the filter to ensure the water's
0:19:34 > 0:19:36safe for everyone to use.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38The arsenic filter is here.
0:19:38 > 0:19:39It's a sand filter.
0:19:39 > 0:19:43It's quite clever how something so simple as a kind of sand
0:19:43 > 0:19:46can remove arsenic, something so poisonous.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49The system might be simple, but it's not cheap.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51It's quite an expensive arrangement.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55It costs us, between the three of us, about just over three grand.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58If we were private individuals and it was our own home,
0:19:58 > 0:20:03we could opt and say, "We're not bothered, we'll take the arsenic."
0:20:03 > 0:20:06But if there are any visitors, which there are in the other two houses,
0:20:06 > 0:20:09there's a responsibility for them to make sure
0:20:09 > 0:20:11that they provide water that's safe.
0:20:11 > 0:20:16- I think it's the word "arsenic", and people panic, don't they?- It is.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18For Rachel and the team at the council, when it comes
0:20:18 > 0:20:22to public health issues, it's just not worth taking the risk.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26It's our duty to protect the health of others,
0:20:26 > 0:20:30so if one person might be able to cope with, I don't know,
0:20:30 > 0:20:33E. coli in the system, the next person, a young child,
0:20:33 > 0:20:35it could make them severely ill,
0:20:35 > 0:20:38so what's OK for one person mightn't be for the next.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43To ensure that no arsenic has found its way through the filter,
0:20:43 > 0:20:47Rachel needs to take a range of water samples from the tap.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50- If we just do the heavy metal one first.- Yeah.- The cold tap.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53These samples will be sent to the lab.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55If they test positive, it could leave Alastair
0:20:55 > 0:20:57forced to use only bottled water.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02Worse still, the owner of the neighbouring holiday homes
0:21:02 > 0:21:05could find their business seriously affected.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08When someone comes and tells you that you've got a major problem
0:21:08 > 0:21:10and you've got to start doing the research
0:21:10 > 0:21:13and finding out where the problem is and where it might have come from,
0:21:13 > 0:21:14it's quite tough.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18Yes, it's a worrying time for Alistair and his neighbours.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21- Thanks again, Rachel.- Bye now.- Bye.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25But since Rachel's inspection, there's been some good news.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30The lab declared the water samples clear of arsenic,
0:21:30 > 0:21:32which means the filtering system is doing its job
0:21:32 > 0:21:35and life in this beautiful part of the Lake District
0:21:35 > 0:21:37can continue as normal.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50I've travelled to Salford to meet a fragile young mum
0:21:50 > 0:21:52who desperately needs to be rehoused.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54It's a vicious circle I've got into.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56I don't know how to live without drugs.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Before our meeting, housing officer Vicky fills me in
0:21:59 > 0:22:02on just how desperate Donna's circumstances are.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05Donna doesn't have her kids living with her,
0:22:05 > 0:22:08her two daughters any more, so she's still in the property
0:22:08 > 0:22:11that she had the children, which means she's now under-occupying.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13Donna's got some drug issues,
0:22:13 > 0:22:17which means the kids are living with a family relative at the minute.
0:22:17 > 0:22:18Right.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22We've got her registered on Salford Home Search, which she wasn't before,
0:22:22 > 0:22:26so we've got about 11 weeks now to get Donna out of that property.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28'When I meet Donna, I want to know how
0:22:28 > 0:22:31'she's ended up in such dire straits.'
0:22:31 > 0:22:36Can you sort of trace it backwards and work out where the problems
0:22:36 > 0:22:40- that you're experiencing now started from?- The age of 14.
0:22:40 > 0:22:41Cos I was overweight as a kid,
0:22:41 > 0:22:45I was self-conscious and everything over my weight.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47'Donna says she became overweight after being
0:22:47 > 0:22:50'prescribed strong steroids for her asthma,
0:22:50 > 0:22:53'which then led to her getting teased at school.'
0:22:53 > 0:22:56Someone said, "Have you ever tried the whizz diet?"
0:22:56 > 0:22:59So this is amphetamines taken once a day
0:22:59 > 0:23:01to try and keep the weight off?
0:23:01 > 0:23:02Yeah. It's like a diet tablet.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06'Amphetamines, commonly known as whizz,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09'were once the main ingredient in diet pills
0:23:09 > 0:23:11'because they suppressed the appetite,
0:23:11 > 0:23:15'but prolonged use can lead to panic attacks, depression and paranoia.'
0:23:15 > 0:23:19It's just, to go out in the morning, I need one whizz. That's how I feel.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21And if I don't have it,
0:23:21 > 0:23:25I can't go out, I'm horrible and depressed and...
0:23:25 > 0:23:27just feel fat and everything.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29So what happened? Where did the money come from for that?
0:23:29 > 0:23:31You do everything you must.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34Shoplifting - when my kids went, shoplifting and everything
0:23:34 > 0:23:38just to survive and just to get rid of the pain of losing my kids.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41Is it too much to say that, you know,
0:23:41 > 0:23:43you've run the risk of losing...
0:23:43 > 0:23:47I tried killing myself and everything when my kids went.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49I couldn't handle it. Really couldn't.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52'And remaining in this property is clearly not
0:23:52 > 0:23:53'making things any better.'
0:23:53 > 0:23:56You've been living in this house, then,
0:23:56 > 0:23:58- for 18 months without your children. - Yeah, and it's been pain.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01But, I mean, everything around you,
0:24:01 > 0:24:05this is like a family home still...
0:24:05 > 0:24:09I found all my daughter's dummies when I came back here.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11Cos I had to voluntarily give them up,
0:24:11 > 0:24:15and I couldn't give them up, I said, "I can't give them up, I can't."
0:24:15 > 0:24:17'It seems like Donna's stuck in the past.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20'She now needs to see that she has a future.'
0:24:20 > 0:24:23OK, let's look forward, let's look past where we are right now,
0:24:23 > 0:24:28and, in six months' time, what would you like to have happened?
0:24:28 > 0:24:32To get off drugs, and to get more contact with my daughters
0:24:32 > 0:24:34and let them stay overnight at my new flat
0:24:34 > 0:24:37and be a mum again. I just want to be a mum.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44Talking to Vicky, it's clear urgent action must be taken,
0:24:44 > 0:24:46and taken soon.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48That's quite heartbreaking, isn't it?
0:24:48 > 0:24:50Everywhere you look, there's signs of the kids,
0:24:50 > 0:24:54and that's 18 months. The kids haven't been back to this property.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57You know, you can see how desperate the need is to get Donna
0:24:57 > 0:24:59out of this property, just for her own mental health.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02Once again, the property is at the base of this,
0:25:02 > 0:25:05right at the root of this problem.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07And trying to give someone a fresh start
0:25:07 > 0:25:09to look at it with different eyes
0:25:09 > 0:25:14requires a change of property, a change of accommodation.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17If Donna was left and she hadn't approached the help,
0:25:17 > 0:25:21six months down the line, she'd have been homeless,
0:25:21 > 0:25:24but I think Donna's at the point that she's got nothing more to lose.
0:25:26 > 0:25:2918 months ago, this was Donna's daughters' bedroom
0:25:29 > 0:25:33in their family home, but because of what she's done,
0:25:33 > 0:25:38Donna admits that was the cause of the family break-up.
0:25:38 > 0:25:39This place is in the past.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41Donna now has to look forward
0:25:41 > 0:25:45and make sure that whatever happens in the future doesn't involve
0:25:45 > 0:25:48drugs and gives her chance to get her daughters back.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55A couple of months later and things are moving forward.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Today, she moves into a new one-bedroom flat
0:25:58 > 0:26:00which, in turn, will free up her old house
0:26:00 > 0:26:03for a family that needs the space.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06I feel excited to be moving in. It seems dead nice here.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11Housing officer Vicky Fitton is delighted to see her client looking
0:26:11 > 0:26:15healthier and sounding much more upbeat than she has in a long time.
0:26:15 > 0:26:16I am dead excited, though, you know?
0:26:16 > 0:26:19And I feel like, God, I shouldn't be this excited.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23Why? You've had a really tough couple of years. You're due...
0:26:23 > 0:26:27I don't know how I survived it, really, I don't.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30We'll have new memories and we'll have a future plan,
0:26:30 > 0:26:33- instead of the past, dwelling. - I'm dead chuffed for you.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36And this is the first time in all the time I've been working with you that
0:26:36 > 0:26:39you're actually starting to look to the future and, do you know what?
0:26:39 > 0:26:40That's massive.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42With the new flat comes the chance for Donna
0:26:42 > 0:26:46to put the past behind her and get back on her feet.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48And this is a complete and utter new start.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51- You just promise me you'll work... - Course I will, I won't let you down.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54..with the drugs team. Yeah? Work with the drugs team?
0:26:54 > 0:26:56Work to get your self sorted.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59And get the girls back, or at least get seeing them a bit more.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01Now she's out of her old house,
0:27:01 > 0:27:03Donna's getting her life back on track.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06She's due to enter a drug rehab programme
0:27:06 > 0:27:09and she's determined to get her children back home again.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13The housing officers at Salford Council have done all they can.
0:27:13 > 0:27:14The rest is up to Donna.
0:27:16 > 0:27:21There's no more feeling intimidated
0:27:21 > 0:27:25and, you know, isolated and targeted.
0:27:25 > 0:27:30I feel good in myself because I got out of it and I'm still here.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39Donna is now enjoying a new start in her new flat.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Thanks to the council, she's been able to move away
0:27:42 > 0:27:46from the negative memories and associations of the old place.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48She's also due to start rehab very soon.
0:27:48 > 0:27:53Fingers crossed she can continue towards a more positive future
0:27:57 > 0:27:59That's it for today's show.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02Join me next time when I'll be finding out more about
0:28:02 > 0:28:05what it takes to become a front-line housing officer.