Army veteran, 74, is forced to live in his allotment shed
AN Army veteran says a coun- cil has forced him and his wife to live apart after failing to find them suitable accommodation when they had to leave their rented property.
Former soldier Tony Squirrell, 74, has been sleeping in his allotment shed while his wife Joan, 69, moved into their son’s home.
The couple, of Bridgwater, Somerset, say they have been left depressed and suicidal after the council initially offered alternative private accommodation that they couldn’t afford before suggesting ‘disgusting’ beds at a YMCA.
Mr Squirrell, a Lance Corporal in the Royal Corps of Transport who served from 1965 to 1974, said: ‘I have been to war and seen some horrible things but nothing has taken its toll on me like this. The council has an obligation to look after their veterans and to vulnerable people and they haven’t looked after us. Veterans in our society are not looked after well.’
His wife said: ‘I have lived in Bridgwater for 42 years. My family is here and that is where I am staying. I just wonder when this will be over.’
In April the couple left their £565-a month two-bedroom home, where they had lived for nearly four years, after the landlord gave them two months’ notice because he was selling the property.
Mrs Squirrell moved in with her son, while her husband stayed with his 96-year- old mother in Norfolk before staying with a succession of friends and ex-military comrades.
On June 2 he started sleeping in his shed after the friends he was with went on holiday.
Mr and Mrs Squirrell made a homeless application to Sedgemoor District Council when they were given notice to leave in February. They say officers tried to ‘ bully’ them into renting a one-bedroom bungalow for around £600 which they couldn’t afford on their state pensions. Mrs Squirrell has a parttime job at a manufacturing firm but her husband does not qualify for a service pension because he did not serve for long enough.
They were subsequently offered temporary accommodation in a £60a-night hotel. But the following day the council decided to place them in YMCA accommodation.
Mrs Squirrell said: ‘It was disgusting. There were stains all over the mattresses and we would have had to share a bathroom with other people.’ Mr Squirrell said: ‘I took one look at the beds and thought, “My wife isn’t sleeping on that”.’
The pensioners have made offers on a number of privately rented bungalows but without luck so far. Their options are limited because Mrs Squirrell has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which leaves her struggling to climb stairs.
On Wednesday Mr Squirrell and his wife – who was given permission to live in her son’s rented house only for six weeks – were offered B&B accommodation by veterans charity Help 4 Homeless Veterans, although this is available only until Monday.
Mr Squirrell, who served in Singapore, Malaysia, Cyprus, Germany and Northern Ireland before taking a civilian job at Hinkley Point nuclear power station, said: ‘The veterans charity has done more for us in the last 24 hours than the council has done in months.’
The council blamed a shortage of homes on the Right to Buy scheme. It has 1,700 applications on its housing register with 36, including the Squirrells, listed as high priority.
A spokesman said: ‘The council works hard to prevent homelessness. We will continue to work with Mr and Mrs Squirrell to help them secure a solution to their housing needs.’
‘They haven’t looked after us’