A MAN who has been “living like a dog” for years has accused the council of turning a blind eye to his plight.

Graham Ettridge, 61, of Lea Bridge Road in Leyton, says he hasn’t had a cooker in three years and has been surviving on microwave meals.

The father-of-two who lives alone said council workmen started refurbishing his kitchen five years ago but failed to finish it.

Mr Ettridge, who is divorced from his wife, is unable to work due to a foot injury he suffered 20 years ago.

He said: “The workmen would come every other day and move the cooker out to the back garden.

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

“They covered the top with plastic but not the back of it so rats got in and ate the wires. They would leave it out there for days and eventually I couldn’t use it anymore.

“After about five weeks they stopped coming and left the kitchen unfinished.

“I have been living like a dog for three years and it’s so embarrassing I don’t like my daughters coming round.

“I have been surviving on microwave meals and my legs have blown up. The doctor says it’s because of the stress I’m under.”

Mr Ettridge was allocated the one bedroom house 10 years by Waltham Forest Council.

In April he was awarded £2,000 in compensation from the council for failing to finish the refurbishments.

He said: “My kitchen is in a disgusting state.

“There are no doors on my cupboards and they positioned the draining board the wrong way so it drains onto the counter. I’m constantly having to wipe water up.

“My table and chairs are covered in paint and they stuck duct tape and bin bags to my wallpaper to prevent dust. They pulled it off and now the wallpaper looks awful.”

Mr Ettridge’s daughter Siobhain, 30, said she and her sister Lauren, 40, are worried about their father’s health.

She said: “It’s been a really bad few years and he is depressed and withdrawn and is distant with us.

“He used to cook lovely roast dinners for us when we would go around but now he won’t let us in. I just want him to have a nice kitchen again.

“We are extremely worried about him. It has been very upsetting for us to see him like this.”

A spokesman for the council said: “The council has met with Mr Ettridge and agreed to carry out some minor repairs and redecoration and arranged for the cooker to be inspected by a domestic appliance engineer to identify any faults. Work on the property will start the week commencing May 1.”