I fled my abusive ex - the council took six months to make my home safe

A pistillate who fled an abusive narration said she had to barricade herself into her rented location each nighttime for much than six months, due to the fact that her assembly near her with a breached doorway lock.

Jane – not her existent sanction – should person had other location security, known arsenic people hardening "within a mates of moving days" of being classed arsenic precocious risk, according to authorities guidelines.

North Kesteven District Council admitted a "significant failing" and offered Jane £100 successful compensation for failing to unafraid her location successful a timely manner.

The home maltreatment commissioner for England and Wales said "patchy" people hardening meant galore victims were "living successful regular fear" of their abuser turning up astatine their home. The authorities said it was expanding home maltreatment funding.

Since 2021, section authorities person had a ineligible work to marque definite home maltreatment victims person a harmless spot to live.

It means most councils successful England present tally a sanctuary scheme, which includes installing people hardening astatine a victim's home, erstwhile they nary longer unrecorded with their abuser.

The measures - specified arsenic alarm systems, other locks, and fire-proof letterboxes - should beryllium fitted "as soon arsenic possible" pursuing a hazard assessment, according to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

Jane, from Lincolnshire, said she had been told to expect other information aft leaving her spouse successful May 2024, which included fixing a breached lock. However, delays successful completing the enactment near her surviving successful "terror".

She said she was "completely failed" by the council, and did not slumber decently for six months arsenic her patio doorway did not lock.

"Every clip I looked astatine the door, it made maine consciousness sick," said Jane.

"One night, determination was a bang extracurricular and I was shaking successful the kitchen, I was retching successful the sink, due to the fact that I was terrified helium was determination and was astir to travel successful and execution me."

It became a nightly regular for Jane to "barricade" her sliding patio doorway with household items, specified arsenic chairs, tables and an ironing board.

Until November 2024 she said she spent her evenings successful silence, listening for immoderate motion of her ex-partner outside.

"I felt wholly unsafe. It was horrific," said Jane.

Women are astir astatine hazard of being killed by their ex-partner successful the archetypal period aft leaving an abusive relationship, according to statistic from the Femicide Census.

"That information that Jane waited truthful agelong enactment her beingness astatine risk," said Claire Chamberlain, who runs home maltreatment organisation Clear Path UK.

The home maltreatment commissioner, Dame Nicole Jacobs, said people hardening was a "postcode lottery", and immoderate victims were being "driven into homelessness" due to the fact that it was becoming "too dangerous" to enactment successful their homes.

"This is simply not bully enough," she said.

Caroline Vincent, 50, from Chapel St Leonards, is calling for alteration and believes her girl and grandson mightiness inactive beryllium live contiguous if they had been offered people hardening.

Bethany Vincent, 26, and her nine-year-old lad Darren Henson, known arsenic DJ, were murdered astatine their location successful Louth, successful 2021.

They were stabbed to decease by Bethany's ex-partner, Daniel Boulton, who had walked 28 miles (45km) from a stateless hostel successful Skegness, contempt being nether a restraining order.

A reappraisal into their deaths recovered determination had been "little work" by agencies to people harden Bethany's home.

The review said determination were "obvious informing signs" Boulton was a "high risk" to Bethany and DJ, fixed his past of home abuse-related offences.

"No 1 came circular and checked her spot for her, adjacent though he'd tried to interruption successful before," said Ms Vincent.

"They knew what helium could beryllium susceptible of, and if things were enactment successful spot it would beryllium a wholly antithetic outcome.

"Not capable is being done. It makes maine truthful aggravated that women are inactive being enactment astatine risk."

Bethany's council, East Lindsey District Council, did not respond to a petition for comment.

The Local Government Association is calling for the authorities to supply capable backing for people hardening to marque definite "support reaches those who request it most, without delay".

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing said: "We are expanding home maltreatment backing to councils by £30m this twelvemonth truthful that victims tin get the enactment they request successful safe, unafraid accommodation and we expect councils to present this."

Campaigner Emma Storey, manager of lodging for the Domestic Abuse Housing Alliance (DAHA), said she was alert of the "challenges" facing the sector.

Ms Storey said successful immoderate cases determination were issues making interaction with landlords, and besides problems gaining support for people hardening works, contempt efforts to transportation them it was a "positive" step.

• If you've been affected by issues successful this study determination is assistance and proposal astatine BBC Action Line

DAHA has made a toolkit, recognised by the Home Office, which sets retired steps section authorities tin instrumentality to amended their effect to lodging for victims.

But not each section authorities person signed up.

In a missive to Jane, seen by the BBC, North Kesteven District Council said it could not connection immoderate mentation for the hold successful installing her other security.

"There has intelligibly been a important nonaccomplishment wrong our processes that has led to the works not being undertaken successful an acceptable timeframe and resulted successful this unacceptable level of service," the missive stated.

The assembly said it would transportation retired a reappraisal of its procedures, and besides apologised for a "lack of communication" with Jane, who had made repeated calls for the people hardening works to beryllium done.

In a further statement, to the BBC, the assembly said sometimes delays were due to the fact that of a deficiency of disposable contractors. It added that people hardening does not screen each location repairs that mightiness request doing.

Jane besides raised her concerns implicit the council's delays, with the home maltreatment commissioner.

In a missive seen by the BBC, the commissioner's bureau described Jane's lawsuit arsenic "appalling" and said it had raised "serious concerns".

Jane said surviving successful changeless fearfulness had affected her job, her intelligence wellness and her relationships with different people.

"I don't privation anybody to spell done the panic that I had for six months," she said.

"I shouldn't person had to beryllium successful combat oregon formation mode erstwhile people hardening is meant to beryllium determination to forestall this happening."