A resident has hit out at how difficult it is to get hold of a housing association at the moment.

Keith Ballentine, who lives in Borehamwood, said he has been “left high and dry for weeks" by Clarion Housing after the company suffered a cyber attack on June 18.

It has left tenants with limited access to services and Mr Ballentine believes Clarion should not be taking as long as it is to resolve communication issues.

The 57-year-old, who rents his Newark Green flat from Clarion, said he struggled to contact Clarion about a leak in his building shortly after the cyber attack.

He said: “We had a leak in a roof and because the water tank is above my flat, the water has been coming through the ceiling and dripping down the walls.

“It took 40 hours to resolve the issue and as a result, I raised a complaint about the whole process but no one has got back to me in over seven weeks and you can’t call them.

“You’d think with a big organisation like Clarion, there’d be another way of communicating rather than just email.

“I’d be surprised if I’m the only person frustrated. I’ve effectively been left high and dry and I’d dread to think about the serious issues tenants may be having and they can’t get through on the phone to Clarion."

A spokesperson for the housing association, which is the largest in the country, said: “We are still experiencing system issues as a result of the cyber-attack we suffered on June 18. We are sorry for the disruption and are working hard to get all of our systems back up and running, but this will not be a quick process.

“All Clarion residents are able to book emergency repairs via our phone line. They can also use our online live chat system to report routine repairs relating to lifts, door entry systems and fire safety systems.

“We have contacted all of our residents about the cyber incident and for the latest information, we are encouraging people to visit our website (www.myclarionhousing.com) which provides updates on our services and how to best make contact with us.”

Clarion added its customer relationship management system, where it keeps the bulk of its customer information, was not accessed during the June attack.