NEW £1.1million business units built by East Lothian Council in Prestonpans have been described as a “disaster” by one of their tenants after a catalogue of incidents.

Susan Wilson, who owns Lothian Accountancy and Bookkeeping Services, moved into one of the seven new Mid Road Industrial Estate units when they opened in October 2015.

But she said that the lease had been plagued by problems with plumbing, heating and electrics.

She was still furnishing her new office when the metal shutter at the front of it crashed down just inches away from her and it was revealed it had no safety mechanism.

Any liquids poured down the kitchen sink plughole appear in the toilet bowl, and the heater fitted above her staff’s heads was so fierce it melted light fittings.

The final straw for Susan came in December when a heating engineer carried out the annual inspection of her gas heating system and immediately shut it down as unsafe.

Susan told the Courier: “We have had no heating since December 19 last year.

“My staff were going off sick with colds and flu and I was constantly apologising to clients.

“October to January is the busiest time in my industry. We had a number of clients in when the engineer came to say the heating had been condemned.

“The situation with the toilet is humiliating because there are only so many times you can apologise to a client who thinks someone has not flushed or it is dirty.

“I had to bring in electric heaters and the solar panels on the roof broke down, so my electricity bill has gone through the roof.

“I have five staff working in this unit and now my lawyer has warned me I could be in breach of health and safety for allowing them into the office. It is undoubtedly having an impact on my business and I am very worried.

“I worked really hard to build this business up and East Lothian Council have let us down badly.

“They keep promising to fix the repairs but now say they have no money. How is that possible when their own newsletter is boasting about over £9million being there to invest in building the economy?”

Susan set up her firm four years ago after working for Scottish Enterprise.

Initially she was working from home but she has built up a large client base which has allowed her to take on additional staff.

She was based at Cockenzie House and Gardens before moving into the new units at Mid Road.

However, 17 months down the line, she says that the lack of action by the council on repairs is putting her business and the jobs of her employees at risk.

She said: “The units were built and the council told me initially not to worry, that any issues would be dealt with. But nothing has been done.

“Unlike the other businesses in these units, we are here five days a week, 9-5. When I asked who signed off on the plumbing, electricity and lighting, I was told the construction firm self-certified.

“I find it extraordinary on a project of this size that no independent checks were made by the council before accepting the units.”

The Mid Road investment was hailed as a huge boost for the local economy by East Lothian Council and received more than £350,000 in European Grant funding towards the total cost.

Last spring, however, it was revealed that the European Union had asked for that money back because of an alleged breach of conditions.

A spokesperson for East Lothian Council said: “We are aware of some issues at the Mid Road units and are working with the contractor and our own engineers on a resolution while liaising with tenants.”