A man says he is living in a "disgusting mess" after decorators came to repair a crack in his bedroom wall – but forgot to return to finish the job.

Melvin Harrison, of Tempesford Avenue, Borehamwood, contacted housing association Affinity Sutton after noticing a “gaping hole” in the wall last October.

Workmen stripped the wallpaper, covered his bedroom floor with a sheet, moved his bed to one side and put his personal items into storage – but have not returned since.

A large chunk of the blue wallpaper was removed leaving the brickwork exposed, making the room too cold to sleep in.

The 55-year-old, who lives alone, said: “I am living in a disgusting mess at the moment. It makes me a mixture of upset and angry.

“I feel annoyed and messed about. It’s like I’m squatting, and even though it’s in my own home, the conditions are horrible.

“I have to sleep on a two-seater sofa because my bedroom keeps getting so dusty. I am taller than the sofa too and I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in months. There’s nowhere I can go.”

After contacting the housing association, Mr Harrison claims he was told “it would be seen to” but four months on, he does not know where to turn.

The crack goes through the wall of the living room and into the bedroom.

Mr Harrison, who has depression, is also registered disabled due to a condition which causes pain in his legs, and said the situation has aggravated his health.

He claims he now has to take sleeping tablets to help calm him down at night.

Mr Harrison added: “It’s ruined these last few months for me. I used to be quite happy, but now I am fed up of everything.

“It’s changed the way I live my day to day life. Everything is a struggle and I dread going to sleep now because the sofa is so uncomfortable.

“I can’t understand why I’ve been forgotten and why nothing is being done about it. It’s disgraceful really, this situation is really, really bad.”

A statement from Affinity Sutton said: “We are sorry for the inconvenience Mr Harrison is experiencing and are liaising with our structural engineers to arrange a convenient date to complete the job. We have attempted today to contact Mr Harrison and will also call at the property to assess the condition of the bedroom.

"We will work with our housing management team to find Mr Harrison alternative accommodation until the work is complete if this is deemed necessary.”