A lecturer “tortured” by a continuous leak in her kitchen says she can finally rest easy after a six-week-long wait to have it fixed.

Tandy Dube, who lives in Rochester, feared she might miss out on seeing her family at Christmas because of the water coming through her ceiling.

She says she was left sleep-deprived and stressed by the ordeal.

It comes after water from a storage tank in the flat above began coming through the ceiling at her home in Five Bells Lane on November 8.

The 55-year-old immediately called the emergency line and a plumber came the same day, but told her the job was too big for one person.

Tandy contacted housing association London and Quadrant (L&Q) around 15 times, but says she was only given "excuses".

However, after KentOnline approached L&Q for a comment, they apologised and confirmed they would send out an engineer to fix the problem – just days before Christmas.

Tandy says the leak has now stopped following a visit from the plumber, who was able to install a new pipe.

Thanks to the repairs, she was able to visit her cousins and auntie in Colchester, instead of being forced to stay at home.

“I’m really, really grateful,” Tandy said. “Without that I was going to spend Christmas Day by myself.

“I would have had to wait for the buckets over and over.”

The lecturer at Lewisham College has had to previously ask her neighbour to check on her flat whilst she was at work.

She added: “It was heaven to go into bed and sleep through the night.

“Not having to worry about waking up to empty a bucket was such a relief.

“Even leaving the house knowing I don’t have to ask my neighbour to go in and empty the bucket – she has her own life as well.”

Now the 55-year-old is in the process of sorting out her kitchen and will need new appliances.

“They said they would send someone in the New Year when it has all dried out,” she said. ‘I haven’t been given a date yet.

“Then they can turn on the electricity again, do the repairs and change the mouldy cupboards.

“I still can’t cook or use the kitchen for anything. Six weeks is a long time to not have a proper meal.

“It shouldn’t be like that, not for anyone to live in that kind of situation.”