ALMSHOUSE residents who are still out of their homes a year after Storm Desmond say they feel 'forgotten'.

This week several neighbours from the flood-hit Victorian cottages on Kendal's Aynam Road told the Gazette how frustrated they feel about lengthy delays to repairs.

"We seem to be the forgotten row of houses," said grandmother-of-ten Anne Ediss.

"It's going to be nearly two years before we get back in at this rate. We are comfortable enough in our accommodation but there's no place like home, is there?"

Tragically, one resident, 75-year-old retired printer Gordon Chapman, died at Kendal Care Home on November 18 without being able to return home. His widow, Sylvia, told the Gazette: "If Appleby Road had been ready he could have gone back and lived his last days there." The couple had been married 53 years.

Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron took up the plight of the retired residents with the Kendal Almshouse Charity trustees back in spring. "I'm personally quite angry about it," he said. "They are not going to be back in for Christmas and frankly that's unacceptable."

Chris and Dennis Lamb have been lodging in Grange-over-Sands, and Mrs Lamb, a carer, told the Gazette they missed their home of six years.

"We were all under the impression that the sooner we got out, the sooner we could move back in," she said. "The letter we have received is that it's going to be around March before they even start. We all just need to get back home."

Retired K Shoes workers Jill and Peter Noble moved in with their son after the floods. Mrs Noble said it had been an unsettling time and they just wanted to see the houses "done up properly".

In a written statement, Kendal Almshouse Charity told the Gazette: "The trustees are extremely apologetic for the delay in the restoration process and have expressed their sympathy to the residents with regular contact throughout the year."

The charity said stripping-out had revealed "substantial defects" to the building including "severe cracking and structural movement". These extra works would not be covered by insurance, and the start date had been deferred while trustees sought further funding.

The charity said it had covered all the costs of temporary accommodation, and that trustees had dealt with the setbacks "as expeditiously as possible" to refurbish the 16 properties and enable the residents to return home.