John, 80, and Elizabeth, 73, Johnstone of Bridge Lane, Catrine were woken after being drenched by a leak pouring water on them as they lay asleep in the early hours of December 19.

The leak coming from the ceiling of the couple’s bedroom has forced them to sleep on their couch ever since.

Mr Johnstone, who suffers from various health issues, including cancer, said: “We were woken at 5.30am by water dripping on to the bed. It wasn’t very nice. We have been in contact with the council who have repaired the roof on the outside but we are still waiting to for the bedroom ceiling to be fixed. The problem now is that the ceiling is damp and I suffer from asthma so I don’t really want to go back to sleeping in a damp bedroom.

East Ayrshire Council said: “The council can confirm that the tenant contacted the out-of-hours emergency service on Sunday December 21 to report water ingress at his bedroom ceiling.

“A joiner attended the property and diverted the water. The joiner at this visit confirmed that a small area of artex had a bubble showing within the bedroom.

“A slater then attended the property on Wednesday December 31 and noted that some tiles needed to be replaced. The tiles required were non-stock tiles and had to be ordered in. The roof was made safe to prevent any water ingress until the tiles arrived.

“An appointment was arranged with the tenant for a slater to attend on Thursday January 8 to check a different area of the roof however the tenant was not at home as arranged. The slater therefore carried out a cement repair at a flashing on the roof.

“The roof was fully repaired on Monday January 12 following the delivery of the tiles.

“A technical housing officer also attended the property on Monday January 12 to inspect the ceiling. The officer confirmed that the ceiling had not come down as reported but that there was damage to a small area of artex. An instruction has been now been made for this area of the ceiling to be repaired.” With the leak now being fixed almost a month after the problem arose, Mr Johnstone has been left frustrated by his experience.

He said: “The whole thing has been a hassle. I’m just glad it looks like things are finally being sorted. We are just waiting for the ceiling to be redecorated now. What’s frustrating me is how long it has taken for it all to be taken care of.”