A Kilburn grandmother 'could have been killed' when her bathroom ceiling collapsed in her housing association flat.

Anne Dolan twice complained to Notting Hill Genesis (NHG) about a leak coming from an upstairs flat in Brondesbury Villa but was told both times it was "fixed".

"It happened around 10.30am on July 7," she said. "Luckily it was after I'd washed that I heard a terrific bang, it was so loud the neighbours heard it.

"I went in the bathroom and thought 'oh my God'. There was a huge hole above the bath and so much debris in the bath and everywhere.

"It could have killed me. I'm not a church goer, but I did go to a church to say thank you."

The 76-year-old, who was a former community care worker for Brent Council, said since the collapse she fears going in her bathroom. "It's an awful feeling when you go in there, you don't feel free to do what you want to do, you feel something will come down."

Anne said she called NHG on May 25 and June 9. Both times an officer came round, "checked the flat upstairs and said it was fixed".

Officers came on the day of the ceiling collapse to clear the debris, which she said took them four hours to clear.

She was told by a housing officer the next day that the job "had gone out to tender".

"It's been going on and on, we're near the end of July now and I've heard nothing. I want them to fix it properly."

Her friend, an NHG tenant who did not wish to be named, said: "NHG should be ashamed of themselves for what they've done to her. They don't look after their elderly tenants very well at all."

A NHG spokesperson said: "We are sorry for the distress caused to Anne by the ceiling collapse in her bathroom, and appreciate how frightening that must have been."

They said they had appointed a contractor to repair the damage and would let Anne know when they had a start date.

They claimed that they had "no record" of the leaks being "reported previously" but were arranging a surveyor to investigate what happened.

They said tenders were used so that "work can be completed more quickly" and to check "suitability to carry out the work and cost."