Pensioner Kenneth Knighton claims he is living in fear after Watford Community Housing Trust (WCHT) failed to replace his fence, flattened by fallen trees.

Mr Knighton, of South Way, Abbots Langley, first contacted the Watford Observer in June this year, complaining strong May winds had caused trees to fall in his back garden, crushing his fence.

Although the trust cleared Mr Knighton’s garden of tree debris more than three weeks after his initial complaint, six weeks on, his fence remains in pieces.

The 80-year-old WCHT tenant said: “This whole situation is turning into a bit of a farce.

“I have called the trust repeatedly complaining about the fence, it’s completely broken. What’s the point of me even having a gate?

“The fence closed off my property, now it’s completely open. I'm scared, I'm fearful that someone could come into my home.

“I’m an elderly, vulnerable person. I shouldn’t be ignored like this, I should be a priority for the trust.”

According to Mr Knighton the fence was scheduled to be replaced by the trust on Monday, July 18, but works have since been delayed until August 15.

He said: “It’s just not good enough.

“I shouldn’t have to be chasing them to fix this.

“Why on earth did they not mend the fence when they came to clear the trees – what a complete waste of time coming out on two occasions.

“If I could fix it myself, I would, but I’m not steady enough on my feet.

“I was tempted to go through my solicitor and insurance, but thought it would be easier to contact the trust directly.

“But this evidently is not the case.”

Nicola Trickett, head of repairs at WCHT, said the trust may be able to carry out the works sooner –providing there is a cancellation.

She said: “We are sorry that we were not able to complete repairs to Mr Knighton’s fence this week as arranged, as one of our repairs operatives was ill.

“Mr Knighton did not complain when we informed him about this and has not raised any issues with us about the security of his home, but we are very happy to talk to him about any concerns he might have.

“We may be able to do the job sooner if we get a cancellation, but we have to prioritise our repairs and deal with the most urgent jobs first.

“This is why we were not able to repair the fence at the time the tree was removed.”