Mother with twins 'left with nothing' at Christmas after ceiling collapses in Armadale, West Lothian

A mother and her five year-old twins have been “left with nothing” in the run up to Christmas after their ceiling collapsed in West Lothian.

Siobhan Mason’s bathroom ceiling in Armadale collapsed due to a loose pipe – just two days after a property inspection on November 28.

The damage fully destroyed Siobhan’s kitchen, and all three were forced out of the property after asbestos was discovered.

The family are now back in the property, but are restricted from using the kitchen – something that Siobhan’s sister Kerry says is difficult for the children, one of whom has autism.

Kerry said her sister has been “left with nothing”. Kerry Mason via Supplied

Kerry has now set up a JustGiving fundraising page to try and get new kitchen goods and clothes to allow Siobhan and the twins to have a Christmas of sorts.

She said: “My sister had been reporting her repairs to the council constantly and most recently regarding water coming through to her kitchen from the bathroom.

“She reported this at the start of November and they said they would get an inspection done on her property on November 28.

“They never done anything about the kitchen and only went round the rooms that had the black mould.

“Then two days later on November 30 her ceiling came right through to her kitchen from a waste pipe that was loose under her bath.

“Then she get told there is asbestos in the property, and now that it’s been disturbed that she would be decanted from her property that night.

“She’s back living in her house, but without the use of the kitchen. Which by any means is difficult when you have a child with autism and she loves to watch the washing machine and tumble dryer go round and round.

“Now that the asbestos team have been in she’s now left with nothing in her kitchen. She has to start over and as you can only imagine it’s Christmas coming up and she has her twins birthday in January.”

You can donate to Kerry’s JustGiving page here.

A West Lothian Council spokesperson said: “A previously undetected serious water leak resulted in the ceiling coming down in this tenant’s kitchen.

“As the ceiling contained asbestos, for the tenant’s safety, it was necessary to prevent access to the affected area until a specialist asbestos contractor was able to attend and remove the material.

“Our staff offered alternative accommodation while this work was safely carried out, but also suggested that staying with family might be less disruptive for the children. The tenant indicated they planned to stay with family, but booked their own alternative accommodation afterwards, which the council has agreed to pay for.

“The asbestos has now been removed, our team will repair the kitchen ceiling and return the kitchen to full working use as quickly as possible.”