Work has begun to install new insulation at a social housing block in Bracknell a year after it was first removed.

Boyd Court residents in Bracknell suffered ‘absolutely freezing’ conditions last winter after wall cavity insulation was removed in November 2023.

Silva Homes, which has now merged with Abri, promised new insulation would be put in by Autumn this year - but it was pushed back even further to this month.

The housing firm removed the wall cavity after it found it was contributing to damp and mould.

READ MORE: Bracknell: Council dishes out dozens of fly-tipping fines

Abri confirmed that a ‘significant proportion’ would be complete by Christmas.

Temperatures dropped as low as seven degrees last winter in some homes last year, and some tenants said this year it had already ‘become warmer outside my flat than it was inside’.

Work has now started to install the new insulation on Monday, November 18, tenants confirmed with the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Pictures show scaffolding has gone up outside the first block of flats, as Abri said it would install the insulation on a ‘block by block’ basis.

Scaffolding outside a block of flats in Boyd CourtScaffolding outside a block of flats in Boyd Court (Image: Daniel Weideman) READ MORE: Bracknell: The Lexicon speaks out over business turnover 

Residents criticised the housing firm for delays to the project which left them ‘sleeping fully clothed’ last winter.

Tim Hall, lead asset partner at Abri said in October: “Work is expected to begin by mid-November, with an aim to complete a significant proportion before Christmas.”

The ‘most affected homes’ would be targeted first, according to Mr Hall.

The spokesperson said Abri are ‘monitoring the temperature in several flats, all of which are maintaining comfortable levels’.