A HOUSING association property made available for a homeless family under a Government incentive scheme is still empty and being vandalised - five weeks after the former tenants moved out.

The previous occupants of the house in Queen Street, Darwen, took advantage of the Housing Corporation scheme which offers a grant of up to £9,000 for tenants to buy their own home after two years.

Under the terms of the scheme the Northern Counties Association property should then be let to a homeless family from the local authority waiting lists.

But Wendy Sandham, who lives next door to the house, claims Blackburn Council has failed to move in a family and the property is being vandalised.

She said: "The previous tenants spent a lot of money doing up the house and it would be a palace for a family with nowhere to live.

"But now children have started vandalising it. They have kicked in the back gate, removed pieces of the window frames and even stolen the peep hole from the front door.

"If a tenant isn't found soon, a lot of money is going to have to be spent on the property to make it fit for someone else."

Mrs Sandham said she was disgusted that the house had not been filled as a friend was desperately in need of a home but had been told she is 38th on the borough waiting list.

She added: "There is a family unit at the Police Street hostel for homeless people which is only yards away from Queen Street.

"I'm sure the families forced to stay in that hovel would be disgusted if they knew that a nice home was empty and waiting for them so close by."

A spokeswoman for Northern Counties Housing Association which owns the property confirmed the house was made vacant under the housing corporation scheme.

She said that under the terms of the scheme a new tenant had to be found through the local authority's waiting lists of homeless people.

A spokesman for Blackburn Council's housing department said: "We have been unable to nominate a tenant as quickly as we would normally do because of lack of demand."

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