A DEVASTATED family left with nothing after fire ravaged the house they had no contents insurance for have criticised officials for “not touching” the property in four months.

The Advertiser reported in February that Toni and Martin Hanchant’s freezer overheated and exploded, and within minutes flames had gutted their council property, forcing terrified son Tyler, 13, to flee the scene.

Left with nothing apart from the clothes they were wearing, the family were moved to another property while work is carried out on their home in North Acre, Longparish.

But several months on, dad-of-three Mr Hanchant says the Aster Group has not even started repairing it and has left the family in the dark inregard to what is going on.

The electrician told the Advertiser: “It’s been nearly four months and they haven’t touched our house yet, everybody I speak to agrees this is disgusting and something should be done.

“We’ve contacted them on several occasions, and they give little or no details as to what’s happening. Work was supposed to start four weeks ago. We constantly call for an update and usually get fobbed off. We’re very frustrated being stuck in limbo.”

Mr Hanchant, his wife Toni, and their children Tyler, Sky and Alfie have been living in Admirals Way since the fire.

A spokesman for Aster Group said it was “working closely with its customers”.

He said: “The family was unable to remain in their home so we immediately organised temporary accommodation for them while we arranged for the damage to be assessed. Unfortunately, the severity of the fire means the property will need to undergo significant repairs, including some demolition and rebuilding work.

“Due to the scale of the work required, our insurers have needed to approve our claim before a contractor can be selected and the work can begin. However, this has now happened and we expect the work to begin in the next four to six weeks. We understand our customers’ frustration at the time this has taken, but we’re doing everything we can to ensure the repairs are carried out swiftly.”