Housing bosses accused of hushing up
complaints over near death of tenant
Copyright The Digger Magazine

A frail divorcee narrowly escaped death when she fell 30ft while she was cleaning her windows. Anne Marie Thomas, 58, grabbed hold of the drain­pipe but she could only hold on for a few seconds and fell from the top floor onto concrete paving stones below. Her daughter Carol Anne who works in Springburn police station said the doctor at the Royal Infirmary told her that if she hadn't done that she'd have been dead. Mrs Thomas would have landed head first but instead landed on her legs. Her leg twisted under her body and the pain was excruciating, she said.

Mrs Thomas (pictured above) has had her name on the housing list for a bot­tom floor flat for over a year before the fall last November. If the leg doesn't heal she will have to have scaffolding. Her family have been carrying her in and out of her flat on a spinal board. North Glasgow Housing Association Ltd awarded a £ 600,000 contract to Hawthorn Windows to fit 240 homes with new win­dows in Balornock. The win­dows are so poorly fitted that tenants in this area where Springburn meets Barmulloch have started a petition and will hand it in to staff at NGHA.

Lorraine McKenna who lives a few doors down from Mrs Thomas on Edgefauld Road said the Christmas storms flooded her and her sons bedrooms. She said she spent hours mopping up the water that had leaked into her flat. Nobody from NGHA came to sort out the prob­lem. They told Mrs Thomas that there was nothing wrong with the windows. "They're lying", said Mrs Thomas at the weekend.

The family are instructing lawyers and hope to raise a legal action soon against either NGHA or Hawthorn Windows who are based in Possil. Meanwhile tenants in nearby Drumbottie Road have been complaining of a condensation build up in their rooms during installa­tion. NGHA have told them to keep their windows open during the winter. Margaret McDavid and Jean Edgar, neighbours in the area, said they are frightened to clean their windows. "The old win­dows were much easier to clean", said the pensioner who claimed that her grand­children had to sleep in a damp room. Fiona Neeson from Gartferry Street said: "I'm terrfied to wash my win­dows". Amanda Livingston from Drumbottie Road said the seal on her window had broken and the catches weren't safe. Mrs Thomas had started cleaning her windows because she wanted to get her flat ready for the Christmas decora­tion. She pushed open the bay window to the left of her living room. There are three clicks to the latch.

Two open the window and the third will flip the window around so you can clean the outside. Mrs Thomas pushed open two clicks and as she pushed the window further to the third click she fell out. Her lawyer will have to decide if the widow is at fault or the latch wasn't working. But the fact remains that she nearly died that morning. NGHA and Hawthorn Windows refused to comment. Tenants believe that they are hushing up complaints and are refusing to admit liability. Should more ten­ants complain and NGHA refuse to listen it begs the question are tenant led housing associations really working? Ms McKenna took down nine sodden towels to NGHA offices and dumped them on the table of hous­ing officer Katie Bradley. She told Bradley: "I want them ironed and folded but don't use fabric condition­er". Bradley allegedly threw her out of her office. The officer told her there was nothing wrong with the win­dows.