FIFE Council have said sorry after failing to fix a local tenant's leaking windows for "several years".

The local authority apologised and pledged to instal replacements after the complaint about the "ongoing saga" was upheld.

A report to councillors on the Cowdenbeath area committee admitted that "several" inspectors had promised to "put her on a programme" but it hadn't been done.

Numerous job lines had been raised about the living room and kitchen windows but only remedial works were carried out.

The report said there was "water penetration and rotten sills" and added: "The tenant has been reporting this for several years and feels she is being passed around."

It was one of the 251 complaints in the Cowdenbeath area between April 1, 2017 and March 31, 2018.

The council said 240 are now considered dealt with and closed, the remainder were still open, withdrawn or pending a decision.

Most complaints related to building services, particularly the standard of workmanship, then democratic services, protective services, local office, catering and cleaning.

They included everything from potholes, litter bins, overgrown vegetation at cemeteries and bullying at school to dog fouling, fly-tipping and misuse of disabled parking spaces.

There were also gripes about poor communication, inappropriate staff attitude / behaviour and failure to respond to a previous complaint or request for service across a number of departments.

Residents were unhappy about bins not being emptied or collected, while some were also not pleased about the number of bins or the frequency of collections.

In addition, the poor standard of road repairs, the provision and use of disabled parking bays, problems with school transport, street cleaning, abandoned vehicles, aggressive dogs, needles and fallen trees were all causes of complaint last year.

A large number of complaints were about the damage and mess left behind by council workers in building services, and customer dissatisfaction with the job carried out.

The council said sorry to a tenant in the Cowdenbeath area after damage was caused in their home following the installation of a new heating system in November last year.

She called for an emergency repair just after Christmas when there was a leak in her son's bedroom and was unhappy when a joiner – rather than a plumber – was sent out and "poked around at the ceiling".

The tenant, who asked to remain anonymous, continued: "Water poured out out and has ruined several items including the carpet.

"The joiner tried to source the leak but couldn't find it, the plumber then attended on New Year's Eve and said the leak was from the old heating system which had not been properly disconnected."

The committee report added: "The tenant is still waiting on contact regarding having her ceiling fixed or replaced.

"She's unhappy with the way the whole situation has been handled and dealt with."

Councillors were told that the complaint had been upheld, an apology offered and arrangements made to make good on the repairs.