THE bizarre story of a bereaved daughter who was ordered to take out carpets from her dead mother's home has taken another strange twist.

Tenant Mark Rogers who took over the house in Hillworth Road after the death of Sophia Dakin says he was assured by one of Aster's senior managers that he would be allowed to keep the nearly new carpets.

But when he moved into the bungalow he found they had been cut into small strips and were unusable.

Mr Rogers, 51, who suffers from a number of health problems, said: "When I heard I had got the bungalow in Hillworth Road I was really happy. Then I was told about the story in the Gazette to do with the carpets and it seemed ridiculous so I got in touch with Aster and offered to sign anything they wanted by way of a disclaimer."

He spoke to several members of staff but says he finally got approval from a senior manager to keep the carpets which had been bought by Mrs Dakin for her mother Sheila Coakley for £2,000 last September.

He said: "I thought we had come to a sensible arrangement. When I went to the bungalow for a viewing before I moved in I saw the carpet had been rolled up which I was a bit surprised about but didn't think it was a major problem."

But when he moved in and went to roll out the floor coverings he realised they had been cut into strips and were useless. He said: "I was quite angry about it and eventually made an official complaint to Aster but nothing has come of it.

"It is a stupid waste and I really can't understand why this happened. After my complaint was dismissed I wanted to appeal but was told it would be down to Aster to take it to another stage if they thought it hadn't been handled properly. It is mad that they are the ones making that decision."

Mrs Dakin, who contacted the Gazette after she was told she would be charged by Aster unless she removed the carpets was left equally shocked by the attitude of the housing association.

She said: "I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The carpets have hardly been used and are in excellent condition. There is also new lino in the kitchen and bathroom.

"But when they said if I didn't remove them they would charge it against my mother's estate I couldn't believe it. It all seems so heartless."

A spokesman for Aster said: "

“We had agreed that Mr Rogers could keep the carpets. Unfortunately, before this was communicated to our team working on the property, they were taken up. We have explained this to Mr Rogers and are sorry he will no longer be able to use the carpets.

“We have investigated Mr Rogers’s complaint in full and passed on our findings to him. We have also advised him on further steps he can take if he is not satisfied with the outcome.