A MUM-of-two has told how her family is now homeless after they were evicted by their “neglectful” council.
Nicole Barlow, 24, has claimed that her home, which her housing association leased from a private landlord, was put up for sale earlier this year.
She says she, her husband and her two kids, aged two and three, were given just two month to vacate the home.
However, there were no other suitable homes in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire – and so Cheshire West and Chester Council placed her family-of-four in a single room at the Chester Court Hotel in Hoole.
Nicole told Cheshire Live : “We got the key for the room, and I burst into tears as soon as I walked in there.
“Obviously, I wasn’t expecting The Ritz or the Grosvenor Hotel, but the room was just not suitable to meet the children’s basic needs.”
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Nicole claims the hotel room is not safe for her young children.
She said that her children were falling off the beds every night, could touch exposed lightbulbs and that her three-year-old daughter, Belle, could unlock the door.
She explained: "My daughter could unlock the doors when she wanted to go and play at 2am. We found her at reception at 3am one night.”
"What if she had gone into that road or someone had taken her.”
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She claims the room was “was covered in woodlice” but when they complained to staff they “seemed unfazed” and “didn’t care.”
Nicole added: “We’re not being treated like we’re humans.”
A representative of Chester Court Hotel commented: “With regard to the insect infestation. Firstly, nobody commented on it during their stay.
"Second, there is full concierge and the rooms are cleaned on a daily basis. It’s an included service and you have to opt out if you would not like your room cleaned.
"Thirdly, they have the ability to be rehoused with Cheshire West within twenty-four hours if they feel that the accommodation is not appropriate or not of a sufficient standard.
"It’s a bit late after the event to start dragging all these things up when nothing was mentioned at the time. We’ve had no more complaints from other guests about insects in a lamp."
After a month, the Barlow family was given just hours notice that they were being moved to a different hotel.
Nicole says the Dene Hotel is “even worse” and “like a prison”.
She said: “The room was absolutely awful. There’s a massive crack in the window, the bathroom is absolutely disgusting, there’s mould on the walls, and there was no wardrobe.
“It was bigger and there was a bath – that’s where it finished. There was no fridge, no microwave. The main problem I had with Chester Court was the safety aspect, of my son and my daughter getting out. The lock on this door was even worse.
“It seems like we’ve been punished.”
But West Cheshire Homes once again told Nicole the room had been deemed “suitable” for her children.
She said: "We were told that we will be moved every four to six weeks, which again is so traumatic for the kids, just as they settle they get moved.
A spokesperson for the council said: "Cheshire West and Chester Council is very conscious that living in hotels is a difficult environment for those faced with this situation, especially families.
"This is a last resort when no other accommodation is available, and we aim to move households on to their own accommodation as soon as possible.
"We have a process for identifying and using appropriate hotels and have built relationships with hotel operators that are used. Officers are discussing the issues raised with the family and the hotel."
The spokesperson added: "We will work to move them on from the hotel as soon as possible into more stable accommodation.
"We are committed to reducing the demand for temporary accommodation and the use of hotels.
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"We are working with social housing providers to help us increase the availability of suitable temporary accommodation whilst at the same time trying to prevent homelessness happening in the first place.
"For those in temporary accommodation, we assist them to move on and address any barriers that may be stopping them from being rehoused."
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