A WEST Devon man living on medication claims a housing agency has failed over the last year to tackle a problem with fumes which are making him sick. Art Walkom, who lives in a bungalow owned by West Devon Homes in Spreyton, says he can no longer put up with the problem of fumes from the house?s boiler, which have become an increasing problem over the last ten months. Mr Walkom says the pungent smell of fumes from the oil burner situated in a downstairs cupboard would quickly fill the house and was worst first thing in the mornings. He said: ?It is affecting my health mentally as well as physically.? Mr Walkom currently takes 34 different tablets a day, and the stress and anxiety of the situation were worsening his health, he said. ?This is an exquisitely beautiful place to live, and it has been wonderful for me, the views of Dartmoor are spectacular,? he said. Mr Walkom previously suffered from depression, which had in many ways been ?much better? since moving to Spreyton, although the problem with fumes was now jeopardising this. Mr Walkom, 49, who used to work as a dry stone walling instructor before ill-health forced him to stop, said: ?I have worked outside all my life. I feel very lucky to have been offered this bungalow in the first place. I do want to stay here but the only way that is possible is if they put the boiler outside.? Mr Walkom said he recently had to wash the same set of clothes three times, because each time he put them out on the washing line at the rear of the property, they stank from the fumes. He said it was also costing him a great deal of money in petrol to leave the house for long periods to escape the smell. Mr Walkom said the smell caused him to suffer a dry throat and, after prolonged exposure, to feel physically sick, so he has been leaving the bungalows windows open to circulate fresh air. He said since the issue was first raised ten months ago, West Devon Homes contractors had visited the property more than a dozen times, without the problem being effectively resolved. ?On the whole, West Devon Homes have not been a bad landlord, but it is stressful for me that this problem is still going on,? he said. Last week, West Devon Homes visited Mr Walkom to pump out the old heating tank situated in the garden to the rear of the property and replace it with a new one, but the problem inside the house remains. Jean Peters, chief executive for West Devon Homes said she was unable to comment on individual cases. ?However, the concerns the gentleman has raised are being looked into,? she was able to confirm, ?and an officer has spoken to him regarding the issue?. Mrs Peters said if a tenant called up the company with a complaint about fumes or anything which could be a danger to their health, that was something they would normally expect to deal with immediately. She said if remedial work was carried out, and the tenant was still not happy, the company would normally expect to return to the property as a matter of urgency to tackle the problem. It is now hoped a meeting between Mr Walkom and West Devon Homes can be arranged to discuss ways of resolving the problem.