Council tenants in England wait more than a year for repairs to damp, mouldy homes

Observer investigation finds many local authorities have extensive backlogs to fix hazards such as falling ceilings and leaking roofs

Thousands of council housing tenants in England have waited more than a year for repair work on their homes to be completed, according to data compiled by the Observer.

Concern at the dilapidated state of social housing has risen in recent years amid a series of reports and scandals. Freedom of information (FoI) requests to councils in England found that many local authorities have extensive backlogs of repairs.