HUNDREDS of homeowners are launching a fight to be allowed five years to pay for housing repair bills.

They are expected to stage a demonstration in the city centre on Saturday to protest against Glasgow Housing Association's refurbishment programme, which gives them just one year to find up to £6000.

Sean Clerkin, chairman of Save our Homes Campaign who is organising the protest, said: "This is the start of the fightback and we are going to win this.

"People are willing to pay, but they can't afford to fork out another £500 a month over a year on top of a mortgage."

The campaigners are making three key demands, including being allowed to pay over five years.

They are also calling for an independent financial investigation by Audit Scotland into GHA's handling of the refurbishment programme.

And they're campaigning for increased rights for homeowners.

The GHA says it is legally obliged to get payment from owner-occupiers for repairs within a year. Any extension would have to be authorised by housing regulator Communities Scotland.

Sandra White, SNP MSP for Glasgow, who will be speaking at the demo, is representing homeowners during talks with GHA and Communities Scotland next month when the demands will be made.

She said: "We have been conducting meetings across Glasgow over the last few weeks which have been attended by hundreds of homeowners. In Knightswood alone 250 people turned up.

"There is a lot of anger about the diabolical handling of this."

Earlier this month the Evening Times reported on the owner-occupiers in Knightswood who had vowed to call in the police to stop workmen carrying out refurbishment work on their properties.

The residents in Dyke Road four-in-the-blocks face a bill of £6000 .

And last month 86-year-old Mary McDonald won a court fight over her refusal to pay a £277 GHA repair bill for her tenement home, also in Knightswood, after yobs vandalised her block.

A spokeswoman for GHA said: "We are a registered charity and we support homeowners using all options available to us.

"However, we are legally obliged to recover the costs of improvements from owner-occupiers within 12 months to ensure our tenants are not subsidising homeowners."

A Communities Scotland spokesman said: "The Executive has made available substantial grant assistance - £100million over 10 years - through Glasgow City Council to support owners.

"However, we are aware this may not provide a complete solution for those who need to extend the period over which they repay the balance of the cost of works.

"We are monitoring the situation carefully and listening to the concerns of owners and their representatives and will provide as much support as we can to the association and council to develop a solution."

Saturday's demo will start at Blysthwood Square at around 10.30am before a march to George Square.