A GRIEVING Morecambe man has been left stunned and upset after Lancaster city council sent him a £12,600 bill for refurbishments to his late mother's house.

Mr Gary Gibbons claims the council pressured his elderly mother into having the work done and assured her that if she died the debt would die with her.

Other elderly residents say they were told the same but the city council now insists Mr Gibbons must repay the cash.

"My mother was 82 and didn't want the hassle of having builders in for months but the council said if she refused the work then others in the scheme would lose out," said an furious Mr Gibbons.

"She was also worried about signing a contract because the house was all she had to leave her children. She eventually signed but was never given a copy of the contract and the building work was a disaster.

Rubble came in through the roof, my mother suffered a stroke and she got so stressed she came to live with me while the work was finished."

When Mrs Kit Gibbons died in February Mr Gibbons put his mother's legacy on the market and was astounded to discover that, despite £12,600 worth of improvements, the renovated house was worth only £21,000. One independent survey and valuation even declared that the property was in such a poor state of repair it would be difficult to secure a mortgage.

"They spent all this money and yet left the house damp and in need of a rewiring, a new kitchen and new bathroom," added Mister Gibbons.

"A builder told me that even the most generous estimates would put the cost of the work at around £6,000.

"If the improvements had put £12,000 on the value of the house then I would happily pay it back but it's hardly increased its value at all."

Mr Gibbons has asked the council for a copy of the original contract and a breakdown of the costs but neither has been forthcoming.

A statement from the city council press office said: "The council sympathises with the position in which the heir to Mrs Gibbon's estate finds himself in being legally liable to repay the grant.

"The council is prepared to consider waiving the repayment if hardship can be shown or if satisfactory evidence is produced to support the allegation of misrepresentation."

MBI leader Cllr Tricia Heath offered Mr Gibbons a crumb of comfort by offering: "We will certainly be taking a close look at this matter."

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