THE council tenant whose home was damaged after an arson attack on her neighbour has been told she won’t be put in temporary accommodation.

Lynn Arnold received the news yesterday that her family will have to remain in the house in Beech Avenue, Pinehurst.

They will have to wait till Swindon Borough Council can find contractors to do the work required.

But Lynn fears her 11-month-old grandaughter, who lives at the house and suffers with a throat condition which means the toddler struggles to breathe, could be at risk.

The house next door that was set on fire was found to have asbestos in the loft and the wind has blown it into their garden.

Now Lynn is worrying that it could be windswept through the hole in her roof and into the home.

She said: “I don’t understand how they can expect us to live in such a dangerous environment. The council knows we have a child who suffers with a breathing illness.

“I have been a wreck all week because of everything that has been going on and now the stress is all starting to pile on top of me.”

She added: “The lack of communication between the council and its staff is ridiculous.

“I have had different people from all departments ringing me up either repeating what has already been said or telling me wrong information.”

Lynn claimed someone from the repair team rang her to say everything with the house was fine, even though no-one had been out to inspect the property.

Now she has been in contact with Justin Tomlinson MP, which she said was the only way to get a response because until then nothing was being done.

Scaffolding needs to go up on her home before the council can fix the hole in the roof, but a date for this has not been given.

Lynn fears if the roof is not sorted soon it could get worse depending on weather conditions – it is expected to rain on Saturday.

She has lived at her house for 34 years and the 57-year-old’s property has a hole in her roof and attic, the guttering has fallen off and the garden wall is loose and dangerous after the fire.

A council spokesman said: “Although the property in question was well protected by fire-resistant materials inside the walls and roof, we are aware that the house suffered a small degree of damage. Our officers visited the house this week and, after careful inspection, were happy that it was perfectly safe to live in while repairs are being carried out.

“We’ll make it a high priority to get works started as quickly as possible to try and minimise the disturbance.

"Finding temporary accommodation that suits the occupants’ needs can be very difficult because the right size property isn’t always available and it may mean relocating to a different part of the town, which can be very disruptive and inconvenient for the residents.

“We will keep the family updated at regular intervals.”