An elderly couple who had to live with mould on their walls and wait years for basic refurbishments to be carried out on their home have received a £2,000 payout from Watford Borough Council.

The couple, who are council tenants, complained officers had ignored requests to rectify faults in their home or provide a stair lift to assist the disabled wife.

Basic decorations and refurbishment of the bathroom, kitchen and bedrooms in the house were not carried out either.

Investigating the complaint, local government ombudsman Tony Redmond found the council guilty of maladministration causing injustice.

The council has since apologised for to the couple for its "poor performance".

The house was managed by Watford Borough Council on behalf of Hertfordshire County Council.

However, failures in communication between the two authorities, together with failures of borough council officers to take action or keep records, led to the catastrophe.

The couple will now receive a £2,000 payout from the council to compensate for the distress of living in unsatisfactory conditions.

Hertfordshire County Council will also pay the pair £250 and will pay for the repair works to finally be completed.