THE chief executive of a local housing association has paid a personal visit to the home of an Arrochar woman who says she’s been driven out of her property by cold and damp.

As reported in the Advertiser, Stephanie Johnston, 27 who lived in the property with her three-year-old daughter Iona, said the property she rented from Argyll Community Housing Association (ACHA) was “riddled with damp” and had a heating system which hasn’t worked since April.

Ms Johnston claimed the heating, which was broken for more than three months, was the last straw and that she had moved in with her boyfriend.

Alastair MacGregor, chief executive of ACHA, visited Ms Johnston’s home in Kirkfield Place as the Advertiser’s July 13 issue was going to press to identify any outstanding repairs for which the association was responsible.

Mr MacGregor said: “ACHA carried out an inspection of Ms Johnston’s home on Wednesday, July 12, 2017, which I attended.

“The walls of all the rooms that Ms Johnston was reporting as damp were tested with a moisture meter and they were all dry.

“Ms Johnston also had concerns that her heating system was not working and she could not get hot water. On the day of ACHA’s inspection we switched on the heating system and it was working perfectly.”

Ms Johnston, who is still staying with her boyfriend, said: “Yes the boiler turns on, I never stated to them the boiler doesn’t work, I said the heating doesn’t work the boiler worked fine and so did the water it’s the actual heating system that didn’t work.”

Stephanie claimed ACHA didn’t test the heating system itself when they visited the property and that she still intends to move out.

Stephanie said previously that ACHA had helped with some of her concerns but that their efforts weren’t good enough and she struggled to contact them.