A Salford family are paying £100 a night for emergency accommodation after a car ploughed into their home.
Sharon Davis, 49, from Langworthy, was in the kitchen with her daughter, 27, and grandson, 10, at around 9.15pm when a vehicle smashed into the front of her house.
“I had just finished cleaning the kitchen window and we heard a big bang and felt the house shaking,” Sharon told the Manchester Evening News . “I went to see what happened and a car drove through the front window in the living room.”
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Because of the extent of the damage on Monday evening, Sharon and her family had to temporarily move into a hotel arranged by housing association Pendleton Together while repair work on the property was carried out. However, the family said the hotel was not suitable for them and they have since moved into alternative accommodation.
“The hotel they put us in was absolutely filthy,” Sharon said. “The room we went in had Domino's pizza boxes and drinks cartons all over the floor of the bathroom."
When they complained to hotel staff, Sharon said they apologised but the family decided it was not suitable for them to stay there. They then moved into a friend’s house before finding their own accommodation at £100 a night.
They are now staying in an apartment in Salford Quays as they wait for the repairs to be done. Pendleton Together said they are continuing to work with the family on the situation.
“It’s like people just don’t care,” Sharon’s daughter, who asked not to be named, said. “We were allowed to pop in to the house on Tuesday morning for five minutes and it was such a rush that we didn't get anything that we really needed.
“We’re in the same clothes we were in when we left on Monday. We’re having to pay £100 a night for accommodation and spend £60 a day on takeaways for the three of us. We’re asking for help and support, but it feels like we’re getting nothing.
“I keep calling them and asking for updates and they can’t give us any idea of when we can move back in. We’re decent people, we’re not asking for the world.”
The mum and daughter said they have urged their housing firm to install gates or fencing outside their home for years.
Sharon's daughter said: “My mum kept on saying she needs railing because there’s going to be an accident. Now we’re at the point where it has actually happened. It’s a joke.”
The family, who have lived in the area for more than 20 years, said they were worried now that nothing is going to happen until next week at the earliest as staff will be off over the weekend. Sharon’s daughter explained: “When the incident happened on Monday, they were offering to pay for everything.
“They were promising us the world and saying they’ll look after us. But they’ve just left us behind, we can’t get our belongings and we know nothing. We all have medical needs and this is very stressful for all of us.”
Pendleton Together said the family were unable to stay in their home because the property was deemed unsafe. The housing association said they were continuing to work with partner agencies to support the family and ensure their home is repaired. They said the offer of a hotel room remains an option for the family.
A spokesperson said: “Pendleton Together was alerted to the incident on Monday night. An emergency inspection was made and it became necessary for our tenants to leave their home as it was unsafe.
"The family made their own decision for Monday night and on Tuesday we worked with them and other partner agencies to arrange local accommodation and secure their home to protect their belongings. Once further safety inspections and emergency building works had taken place, staff arranged for the family to retrieve their essentials.
"The property remains unsafe and will remain so until after further works are completed. We arranged hotel accommodation for the family nearby using a well-known hotel chain.
"Unfortunately, there was an error on checking in that the hotel offered to address immediately however our tenant chose to make their own arrangements after advising us that they didn’t want to remain in the hotel. We have continued to make the offer of hotel accommodation available and will continue to work with the family.
“We understand that this is a very distressing time and we will continue to work with all the agencies involved to support the family and repair their home.”
Greater Manchester Police confirmed they were called to reports of a collision at the property, near Liverpool Lane in Langworthy, at around 9.20pm on Monday. A spokesperson said: “Officers attended and found a vehicle had collided with a property. An investigation is underway.”
Anyone with information should contact police via the GMP website or 101 quoting 3018-21032022. Information can also be shared anonymously via the independent charity Crimestoppers on 08000 555 111.
