Disabled man and his family are furious after their dream house was snatched away from them

John Gavin, 54, suffers from osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and tremors and can’t get out of the back door of his flat because it has two sets of stairs.

He and his wife Jean, who have lived in Port Glasgow's Kelburn Terrace for 18 years, were thrilled when they successfully lodged a bid for a River Clyde Homes property in North Road which had a ramp, stairlift and wet room.

But their joy was shortlived when they were told that the stairlift had been ripped out and the property was no longer deemed to be specially adapted.

Jean, 60, said: “On 18 April the housing officer said we had been shortlisted for this house and I was delighted.

"The housing officer told us there was a stairlift, and all that was needed was a new wet room.

"I thought that was brilliant.”

John added: “We started thinking about packing up.

“An occupational therapist came out and said they thought the house would be ideal and would mean I could get outside."

But then within a matter of weeks their chance of a fresh start was cruelly taken away.

The occupational therapist came back and dropped the bombshell that the stairlift had been taken away, changing the status of the house.

Mum-of-five Jean said: "River Clyde Homes should have been up to check before offering us the house.

"I've never been so upset in my life.

"I was sobbing.

"When is a house like this going to come up again?

"The occupational therapist said she was so sorry."

The couple live with their daughter Gemma, 29, and son Stephen, 26, and say that the four-bedroomed house is too big for them, after their other son moved out.

It also has dampness and a 'constant leak' from an overflow pipe.

Jean said: "By midnight on the day we were told, the North Road address was re-advertised and and there were 40 people bidding for it.

"It's like a slap in the face.

"I'm gutted.

"How could they do this to me?"

"Within four weeks our dream home was snatched away from us just like that."

"I'm more angry now than anything."

Jean said everyone in the family had been excited about the new house.

She said: "My grandchildren said 'grandad can get upstairs in the stairlift and sit out in the back garden'.

"He misses out on such a lot."

Jean contacted town councillor Jim MacLeod, a veteran disability rights campaigner, who says the case is 'unbelievable'.

He said: "I was shocked to learn that a property that had been adapted with a ramp, stairlift and bathroom wet floor was being stripped of the adaptations which must have cost thousands of pounds.

"For years myself and others had raised our concerns about adapted properties - of which there are not enough - having the adaptations torn out of them after a tenant has moved out or passed away.

"It was and is a waste of money to tear the adaptations out.

"Instead disabled people or those with long term health problems should be notified when these properties are available.

"Mrs Gavin was delighted to find out that her family were number one on the list to get the property only to then find out that the adaptations were being removed.

"I could not believe it.

"Since then another Port Glasgow resident who's family had also bid for the property and was told she was number two on the list was also then informed that the property was having the adaptations removed.

"She was equally incensed."

River Clyde Homes say they removed adaptations because they were not happy with the condition of them but told the Tele they could not refit the property.

Julie Allison, service improvement manager for the east, said: “The property at North Road was fitted with a variety of adaptations and we intended to allocate it to a family whose need suited those adaptations.

“We inspected the house to identify what was required to bring it to our lettable standard.

"Unfortunately the adaptations in place were found to be in a poor state of repair and had to be removed.

“This meant that the property was no longer suitable for the family who had expressed an interest in it.

"We have apologised to them for having to withdraw the offer.

“We have a list of tenants currently awaiting adaptations to their homes so are unable to refit this particular property.

"We will work with the family to identify a home suitable to their needs.”