‘A car crashed into my home and now my stuff is miles away’
Mum and daughter’s possessions placed in storage unit in Twickenham
A mum has been left stunned after all her possessions were moved to a storage unit more than 60 miles away after a vehicle ploughed into her home. Allana Spencer, from Maidstone, is currently living in temporary accommodation with her young daughter .
She initially thought a “bomb had gone off” when a vehicle crashed into her house after failing to stop for the police. The incident, which happened at around 7.30pm on January 4, caused extensive damage to the property in Farleigh Hill.
Housing association Hyde moved the mum and her fiveyear-old daughter AvaMae into a hotel later that night.
They stayed there for three weeks and were then relocated to temporary accommodation. Since January 26, the pair have been living at a flat in the town centre.
However, most of their possessions were still at home when builders started repairs. “I kept asking Hyde for a storage unit and they said everything should be left there so I could eventually move back in,” Allana explained. “I was worried about dust and mould. My neighbours told me they could see workmen cutting wood in the middle of my living room.
“I called up Storage King in Lockmeadow and they offered me a price. I told Hyde but they said they had their own facility.”
On February 14, all of Allana’s furniture and clothes, as well as Ava-Mae’s toys were moved into a secure unit – in Twickenham.
The south-west London district is 64.7 miles away and takes more than an hour to drive from Maidstone on a traffic-free day.
Allana said: “I thought they were joking. What happens if I need something?
“They've moved it all the way out there. I wasn't very impressed because there's literally a storage unit down the road.”
The 27-year-old expected to be in temporary accommodation until this Friday (April 19), but this has now been extended to May 3.
She first filed a complaint in January, after moving into the hotel.
Allana claims to have contacted the housing company every day as she believes she was left in the dark for weeks.
At the end of March, Hyde Housing offered her £150 in compensation due to a lack of communication.
The company also confirmed that the front door wouldn’t be fitted until the end of May – with the gas and electric yet to be turned back on.
“I feel like they want me to sign this complaint away and then that will be it,” she said. “It’s a way out for them. “I don't agree with it, so why should I sign it?
“I've never wanted any money. I just want a safe place for Ava-Mae to live.
“At the minute I feel like I'm hitting brick walls and it's not fun. I've literally had my life turned upside down for £150.” At the time of the crash, Allana had been recovering from a recent miscarriage, which has seen her diagnosed with post-traumatic stress. She says the whole ordeal has caused her anxiety to worsen. She added: “AvaMae’s school is helping her a lot. She seems to think that the building is going to fall down on her all the time.”
It is not the first time the property has been damaged by a car. In May 2021, one rolled down the hill after the driver forgot to secure the handbrake and hit her kitchen window.
Allana says the road is also notorious for speeding drivers. The catering assistant has lived there for four years and now desperately wants to find another place to live.
She added: “I don't know why a camera or speed bumps haven’t been put in place. “There’s no garden fence or wall at the front of the house to provide a bit more of a safety barrier. There’s just nothing there.”
‘I thought they were joking. What happens if I need something?’