A TORYGLEN resident has spoke of the ‘unbelievable damage’ to her home after a fire in a neighbouring flat ravaged her property.

Devastated Maureen Mcguire, 55, said her home was left with water and smoke damaged after fire services battled the blaze on May 19.

We reported on the fire in a block of flats in Ardnahoe Avenue. No one was injured and police said the fire was ‘not suspicious’.

Glasgow Times:

Now three weeks on, Maureen and her 13-year-old daughter are still without a home.

She said: “The damage is unbelievable. All the carpets needed lifted, the wallpaper was ruined and the furniture too.”

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As a tenant of Thistle Housing Association, Maureen was offered temporary accomodation in a hotel, but she refused this due to coronavirus fears.

Currently the family are residing with Maureen’s mum nearby and are having to make regular trips back and forth to check on the condition of the flat.

She said: “We’re currently living around 15 minutes walk away from the flat, but I have breathing problems which makes it hard to get there and back.”

Maureen has also accused Thistle Housing Association of not helping out sufficiently following the fire.

She said: “It’s been a joke, the mess in the bedroom is unbelievable.

“Thistle sent out contractors who were late and they also put a humidifier in the flat to dry it out and that flooded my toilet!”

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Maureen, who has been a Thistle tenant for nearly 20 years, claims that the housing association have provided some assistance in helping to repair the flat including monetary compensation while displaced.

But she argued that the flat was still left destroyed and claims Thistle signposted her to apply for a crisis grant, which is money supplied by the Scottish Government in the event of emergency.

She said: “I was told that because I have no insurance that I would have to access the fund for new carpets and a bed and I’m still paying full rent at the moment for a house that I haven’t been able to get into.

“My daughter’s room has been left absolutely destroyed, with no help to fix it.

“I’m peeling soggy wallpaper off the wall with my bare hands.”

Maureen has also said that the lockdown has made it harder for her to fix her home in order for them to move back in.

She said: “The lockdown has limited what I’ve been able to do myself to the flat -how am I supposed to get all the repair supplies and new furniture if we’re under lockdown?

“It feels as though they are just leaving me to it after 20 years with them.”

A Thistle Housing Association spokesperson responded to Maureen's claims, saying: “We sympathise for the disruption experienced by every tenant affected by last month’s accidental fire in Ardnahoe Avenue.

"Our housing team has been working closely with residents to bring things back to normal.

“For Mrs McGuire we’ve replaced and redecorated a bedroom ceiling damaged by water from the flat above, plus also painted and re-papered walls.

They also urged tenants to take out house insurance for such events, adding:

"As a gesture of goodwill we are also replacing the carpets in both bedrooms, items which tenants would normally claim for on their home contents insurance. We encourage tenants to take out insurance for unexpected events such as this.

"Our staff have done a great deal to help so are obviously sorry Mrs McGuire is disappointed.”