Family suffer bug nightmare
A COCKROACH infestation has forced a family to flee their home.
A couple and their two children have yet to return to their GHA-run flat in Castlemilk almost two months after finding the insects.
A CASTLEMILK family have been forced to flee their home due to an untreated cockroach infestation.
Julie Gibb, her husband Craig, and their two kids, are yet to return to their Castlemilk flat, almost two months after discovering they were living with the insects.
The 39-year-old reported the issue to their landlord GHA but believe the housing provider took so long to act, that the problem spread throughout the whole building.
The source of the infestation was traced to a property on the ground floor that had previously been abandoned.
Julie, who is now living with family in East Kilbride, said: “I was told by pest control that the whole building needed to be treated and it would take about four weeks of weekly treatment but that the problems wouldn’t go away unless all homes were treated.
“At this point GHA had not informed all the tenants and I had to go and tell everyone.
“The homeless unit downstairs, where the source of the infestation was found, was left untreated for three weeks since being raised by my neighbour.
“It’s been more than three weeks and we’re still no closer to knowing when the infestation will be sorted out.
“Why didn’t GHA start treating the whole building when the issue was flagged up instead of letting everyone’s homes become infested?”
Julie and her family – including her eight and 10-year-old children and 21-year-old niece, have been forced to move their lives to East Kilbride, while travelling back to school in Castlemilk every day.
A GHA spokesman said: “Two flats were treated immediately we were alerted by tenants to problems.
“As soon as the source of the infestation was identified, pest control experts put in place an intensive programme, involving weekly treatments in every flat in the block, to ensure the problem is fully eradicated. Our staff are also doing extra cleaning around the bin areas and clearing any dumped rubbish each night.
“We have engaged with our tenants throughout the process and want to reassure them we will take any further measures needed to eliminate the issue once and for all.
“We appreciate the difficulties this has caused residents and are here to help anyone with anything they need.”