A CLUNES single dad on a disability pension knocked teeth out and was left helpless lying on the ground for two hours after slipping on a pile of dirt left from plumbing work in his backyard.

Steve Quick, who lives in a public housing property, says he is facing constant setbacks in a bid to make his residence safe and the department of housing is not returning his calls.

When Mr Quick first moved into the Victoria St house he said his mother narrowly avoided serious injury when she lit the oven and it blew up.

Mr Quick said the family was left unable to cook hot meals for a week.

He said the house was also found to have a crack in a sewerage pipe and was told a plumber would come to fix it.

A plumber attended in May and dug a hole but did not fix the pipe.

He did however leave a pile of dirt obstructing Mr Quick's path in his backyard.

Mr Quick who has 14 pieces of his steel including plates and screws in his body from a car-accident 12 years ago, slipped on the dirt as he was going to put the washing out on Sunday.

He was stuck in the mud, and "freezing cold" unable to get up until his neighbour came to his aid a couple of hours later. Mr Quick also knocked out two teeth during the fall.

The dirt is still on his path and the pipe hasn't been fixed.

Mr Quick said he had made about 50 phone calls to the Department of Housing, but no-one had returned his calls.

"I've made phone calls after phone calls," he said.

"I don't really know how to attack this, which way to go.

"As far as I'm concerned they have got a duty of care."

Department of Human Services spokesman Brendan Ryan said the house received a certificate of electrical safety before Mr Quick moved in.

He said a plumber had attended the house and dug the hole in May and had since tried to return on a number of occasions to finish the work.

Mr Ryan said the plumber had left his card with a number to ring because he had been unable to access the property because no one had been home.