Photo Album
NEIL Leithes and Dawn Ives, who spent Christmas and New Year in a caravan with their two-year-old twins after a fire at their home, are unlikely to be able to move back for some time.
The family had to evacuate the house at Minty's Top, Bromham on December 22, when the mains electricity unit blew up.
Fire engines from Devizes and Melksham were quickly on the scene and the blaze was soon put out.
Ms Ives, 39, said she had been in constant touch with her landlord, Sarsen Housing Association, since the fire on December 22, but is still no closer to finding out when they can move back into the house.
She said: "To be honest, they are trying to shift responsibility on to us, but it's not going to work.
"Yes, the electrics were overloaded by the Christmas lights, but a trip switch should have cut in and it did not.
"That's their fault, I would have thought."
Friends and relatives rallied round and Mr Leithes, Ms Ives and her six children all found a warm welcome and a happy Christmas in the village.
Ms Ives said: "We had a lovely Christmas and we are warm enough in the caravan, but it is very cramped.
"It wasn't helped by the twins having sickness and diarrhoea over Christmas.
"We have put a brave face on it for the kids, but we are fed up with the way we have been let down by Sarsen."
Mr Leithes, Ms Ives and the twins, Zak and Kelsey, are living in the caravan, Ms Ives' other four children were being looked after by friends and relatives.
Sarsen said it would be several weeks before the Minty's Top house is ready to move back into as there was cleaning of smoke-logged carpets and curtains to be carried out as well as the re-wiring. Sarsen has twice offered the family a house in Marlborough as a temporary solution but each time they have said they preferred to stay in their caravan.
View Larger Map