ONE of the last residents of an eerie “ghost town” estate where rats have infested abandoned houses has insisted she WON’T move out.
Kerry Mackintosh, 50, has lived in her house on the Deans South estate in West Lothian, Scotland, for 20 years.
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But in 2003, all 240 properties were condemned after an investigation found they were built with aerated concrete, Siporex, considered to be inadequate for heavy loads.
In 2020 – 17 years later – construction firm Springfield bought the land for £430,000 and most residents moved out.
But Kerry decided to stay put because her kids insisted they loved they area – even though she’s seen rats crawling through her garden.
Kerry has been offered a soon-to-be-built house a stone’s-throw away from the condemned one she currently lives in.
The mum told The Sun: “This is all [my kids have] ever known. This is their home.
“This is what’s kept us fighting, for the kids. This is our home, we can’t leave.
“There’s many times we’ve wanted to leave. We just thought: lets pack our stuff and go.
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“But the kids say ‘no, I want you to fight mummy’. And that’s stuck in my head for years.
“I’ll just be so glad to get the kids into a new house, a cosy house.”
The mum says developer Springfield has been “fantastic” at keeping her in the loop as her demolition date approaches.
But as more and more properties lie abandoned, Kerry says rats have started to swarm – with four of the creatures spotted in her garden alone.
“The rats are to do with the abandoned properties. I had about four rats, they were at my bird feeders all the time,” she said.
“I’m an animal lover so I don’t want to put traps down with poison, just in case a dog gets to it.
GHOST TOWN
“That’s been reported to Springfield so they will get their guys on that.”
Kerry also says being joined to adjacent abandoned houses have left her property feeling chilly.
She added: “Staying in my house is hard because it’s cold and damp, there’s moisture.
“All my windows are damaged from the water.
“We use fur blankets at night and we have to put your hats on and keep the heating on because you’re attached to empty houses – it is really stressful but we have to put up with it because we have to live our lives.”
Kerry has to temporarily move out while her new house is finished off, and her existing one is demolished.
But she is excited to get the keys to her new-build property.
“We can now move on and have our new neighbours and be part of a community rather than feeling isolated,” she said.
“It’s like you’re in a mountain in a cave and you have one light on.”
“The full estate will be buzzing which will be absolutely fantastic.
“Everybody is entitled to a safe home – that’s your sanctuary. Nobody should take that away from you.
“That’s why I feel so passionately about it. Everybody should be entitled to have a roof over their head no matter what.”
Springfield Properties will replace the estate with 29 new council homes after the current properties are demolished next year.
A spokesperson for the firm said: “We understand and share the disappointment and frustration of Deans South residents.
“It has been a long journey and we know that the estate is in urgent need of regeneration.
“We remain completely committed to Deans South and to providing the high quality homes residents deserve.
“However, it is a complex project with various parties involved, and we need to agree important details and a final programme of works.
“We will provide an update as soon as we can.”
West Lothian Council confirmed none of their tenants live on the estate, with is privately owned by Springfield Properties.
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