ONE COUPLE says he must sleep in his COAT in the “absolutely filthy” temporary accommodation assigned to him.
Doreen and Phillip Nightingale said they had no choice but to move into the house after being evicted from their old home when they retired.
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Doreen, 62, and Phillip, 66, said the apartment was infested with black mold and the boiler was not working.
To make matters worse, they also pay £ 45 a night for the Hate House – that is, in Milton Keynes, Bucks, miles from Cambridge where they lived, worked and raised a family.
Phillip worked as a guard for 28 years at St Peters School in Huntingdon, Cambs.
He was forced to retire due to an injury at work, leaving him and his wife Doreen, 62, with no choice but to move.
Doreen also worked in schools.
Their stepdaughter, Melanie Booker, told Cambs Live that the couple had served the local authority most of their lives, adding that she hoped they would be better treated in retirement.
Melanie also called the temporary accommodation “absolutely disgusting”.
She said her mother and stepfather were forced to live in a freezing cold house with broken windows, dirty rugs and black mold.
They are so cold that they wear their coats inside.
She said: âMy husband Phil and I are more than devastated that such hard-working, loving and caring people have been treated without any empathy or respect that they rightly deserve.
“How the council can justify this place is beyond me, it must be condemned.” “
Concerned, Mélanie also mentioned the fact that the accommodation is “far from close” to their family.
The couple – who have lived and worked in Huntingdon all of their lives – now live in Milton Keynes.
It also means Phillip is miles away from the hospital where he has regular appointments for a foot injury.
The couple say they were also initially offered another unsuitable property with a “small” bedroom and no parking space.
A Cambridge Council spokesperson said: “Mr and Mrs Nightingale were offered a bungalow before they had to leave their home which was linked to Mr Nightingale’s work at Cambridgeshire County Council.
Unfortunately, they did not feel able to accept the offer. To the point of having to leave their attached home, the district council offered them emergency temporary accommodation while we worked with them on other housing options.
âAs emergency housing was not available at that time in the district, we offered a stand-alone property in Milton Keynes while we made arrangements to find an alternative to bring them back to the area.
âWe apologized for the condition of this emergency accommodation which is not acceptable and explained our commitment to move them to the neighborhood as soon as we have a suitable vacancy.
âIn the meantime, we have offered to find another emergency property, but given current availability it would be outside the area.
âMr. and Mrs. Nightingale declined this offer and chose to remain in the current property while the hosting provider takes action to resolve the issues.
“We will continue to work with the family to bring them back to the area as soon as a suitable vacancy becomes available.”
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