Dirty hall is flooring disabled Stenhousemuir residents

Fed up residents of the new flats on the site of Stenhousemuir’s police station say they love their homes – but they are simply unable to keep the large close clean themselves.

All of the residents were given the flats on Main Street by Falkirk Council because of their medical points and a wide range of health conditions.

Several use wheelchairs or mobility scooters which leave the hallways particularly dirty in wet weather.

Pensioner Catherine McIntyre says she agreed to move to the flat when she was told she wouldn’t have to clean the communal area.

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“I absolutely love my flat,” she told The Falkirk Herald. “I hate to see the floor looking so dirty – I have been out and tried to clean it myself but I am just not able to do it.

“Somebody did come in to brush it at first, but they didn’t wash it so it wasn’t any use.”

Catherine was persuaded to move to the new flats after she fell while cleaning the communal stairs in her old home in Camelon, which left her in plaster for ten months.

“In my old flat, if I didn’t clean the stairs, no-one did – so, after what happened, I made sure I was moving somewhere it was taken care of.

“I was told time and time again it would be sorted out but it hasn’t been.

“I now feel we’re getting fobbed off with a lot of different excuses everytime we ask.”

The floors in the halls and stairs are made of porous concrete which is non-slip but very difficult to mop and even residents who are well enough to do light cleaning find it a huge struggle.

“When I was out trying to clean it, someone came and took the mop from me and told me to sit down,” said Catherine.

“I’m not lazy and I like to be independent but I almost collapsed when I tried to shove a mop over it!

“None of us are fit to do it – that’s the whole point of us being given these houses!

“They have suggested that all 18 of us hire separate cleaners, which just seems ridiculous.

“They said we should use our disability money – well, I don’t get disability payments!”

“We have told them that we don’t mind paying a bit more on our rent to cover it, but none of us is well enough to organise it all.”

The Falkirk Herald spoke to six of the 18 residents and they say the other tenants are supportive of their request.

John Kidd, who is on dialysis, and his wife Mary, who walks with the support of a frame, say they are fed up asking for something to be done.

“They finally sent someone out to clean it three weeks ago and it made a bit of a difference, but we were told that was a one-off.” said John.

“They did the hallway and the first three stairs, but then gave up!

“We love our flats – they are really beautiful and a lot of money has been spent on them. It seems a shame they are not being looked after.”

Mary said: “It is embarrassing to bring visitors in and see it so dirty. Even getting it cleaned once a month would make a difference!”

A spokesperson for Falkirk Council said: “At the time of the initial viewing for these new build properties, we did discuss with tenants as something we were looking into.

“We are still to conclude this issue, but it is nearing the final stages. We will make contact with our tenants on this matter shortly.

“We recently asked a contractor in to carry out a ‘deep clean’ of the close however following concerns raised to us about the quality of the work, we are in talks with them about this.

“Fortnightly visits are made to the block by the Neighbourhood Officer to check the condition of this.”