A mum who claims she was forced to take a council flat for fear of not being offered an alternative has branded it “a hovel”.
Sarah Blackburn moved into Peterhead’s Gadle Braes three months ago and says that ever since she was handed the keys she has been living in an Aberdeenshire Council “nightmare”.
Last night the 26-year-old, who is raising an eight-month-old son in the property, said she hopes her story will prevent anyone else from going through her heartache.
“The council is now clamping down on those less in need, and offer you only one property,” she added.
“If you decline you are struck off the housing list for six months. We were forced to take the disgusting, leaking, drafty hovel they thought was appropriate to allocate to a young family.”
Just days ago the family were relaxing with a movie when out of the corner of her eye she saw a beetle crawl over her baby, Bronson.
But “complaint after complaint” to the council has done little to put her at ease.
She said: “They didn’t give us a blank canvas to work with. Instead we have been cleaning up the previous tenant’s dirt and grease and grime.
“I myself cleaned squashed flies off the walls, muck and grime off floors and skirting boards. It was a disgrace.
“We have quite lovely kitchen surfaces – one thing I couldn’t complain about – however, a few inches south I removed the kick boards only to discover a world of dirt like I have never seen.
“Old food, containers – even a 10p coin practically welded to the floor with grease.”
Ms Blackburn added she has even “broke down” on occasion because of the property.
She said: “Everyone keeps saying, ‘these things take time’. With a child to raise I don’t have time to pick up someone else’s mess and dirt. So we continue doing what we can when we can, hoping that no one else goes through what we have.”
A spokesman for Aberdeenshire Council said a “standard clean” was carried out on the property prior to anyone moving in.
“Since then all requests for repairs have been looked at and completed or are in the process of being looked at and the necessary work orders issued,” he added.
“A decoration grant has also been provided to the tenant.”
