The council have been asked to a apologise to a man for causing confusion and delay while he tried to tackle rising damp.

The homeowner complained that North Ayrshire Council, which owns a flat in the same building as him, did not make it clear what it would contribute to help repair damage caused by dampness which he was arranging.

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) investigated the complaint and found the council had left the man waiting for a response, despite laying out its own timescales.

The council continually referred to requiring invoices when estimates had already been agreed as sufficient.

The homeowner, referred to as Mr C in the report, said the council ‘generally made the process complicated’ and ‘failed to ask for details at the beginning of the process that they later requested’.

SPSO said NAC should ‘apologise to Mr C’. The ombudsman also recommended a number of changes the council should make including making the position of council clear from the outset as well as avoiding references to previously held positions to avoid confusion.

SPSO found that 'much of the council's communication had been reasonable’.

A North Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “We noted the findings of the investigation and implemented the recommendations asked of us by the SPSO.”