A GLASGOW woman says she has lived in fear everyday for more than a year after returning to her home which went up in flames, almost taking the life of her niece.

Frances Stillie, 45, and her niece Jodie, 21, survived the fire which tore apart her first floor flat in Cathcart's Homelea Road.

We previously reported that her niece Jodie was given fire survival advice over a 999 call after she was caught up in the heart of the blaze.

And although that blaze happened on September 2, 2016, Frances is still fighting with the housing association The Home Group over the state of the property which she perceives to be unsafe.

Frances, who is mum to Michaela, 14, said: "I lost everything in the fire. I am a nervous wreck and I don't go out the door anymore. I am scared to leave the house in case I have nothing to come back to.

"My daughter doesn't feel safe at all and she doesn't want to stay.

"I haven't even had a sorry from The Home Group despite all these nagging problems."

Her dream home, which was only one year old when the fire happened, became a nightmare after the blaze started in a cupboard.

It took seconds for the whole flat to flame up destroying all of Frances' belongings in the process, including precious memories of her brother Paul who died at 39.

Frances was at a neighbour's flat when Jodie, who is Paul's daughter, discovered the fire, and it didn't take long until she was surrounded by the flames. A 999 call operator told her to go under a bed in the bedroom. Firefighters had to eventually smash a window to rescue her.

Although Jodie was rescued, the effects of the blaze have been lasting with the young woman experiencing difficulties with her sight.

Frances, who was displaced for several months after the blaze before returning to the home last January, said: "It has been hard to get my niece back in the house again because of the ordeal of what happened to her.

"She suffers from anxiety because she could have died in the fire."

Since returning to the property, Frances says she has had issues with dampness, and there was no vents in her windows.

She also claims faulty wiring was at one point hanging from the roof and there has been further concerns about the safety of the wiring in the flat.

She said: "I have been getting shocks from the mains box and I have made several complaints about it.

"I feel as if something bad is going to happen again.

"Does it take for someone to die for them to address the problems?"

Frances admits her own mental health has suffered as a result of the ordeal she has went through and she has now lodged a complaint with the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO).

The SPSO are the final stage for complaints about housing associations and other public bodies.

The SPSO said they could not comment on the complaint due to legislation which requires the organisation to investigate in private.

Frances has also been seeking legal advice and has lodged several complaints with The Home Group.

The organisation's head in Scotland reassured Frances that her home is safe when The Evening Times contacted about the problems she has been having.

Sandra Brydon, Head of Service Delivery at Home Group Scotland, said: "Following a major fire to the property in September 2016 we identified the need for essential repair works, and unfortunately this did require the customer to be temporarily relocated.

"We’d like to apologise for any upset and inconvenience caused through the relocation, however our customer’s safety is paramount and it was not possible for the resident to remain in the property whilst the works were being carried out.

"This involved a complete strip out and reinstatement of the internal fabric of the property, including walls, ceilings, central heating and a full rewire. Due to the extensive nature of our repairs, the need to temporarily vacate the flat was necessary."

She added: "The customer moved back into the property in January 2017 and following reported issues with the electrics on January 15, 2018 our contractor conducted same day repairs. On January 24 we carried out a full electrical safety check and all of the electrics were deemed to be in safe condition.

"In addition, we recently fitted vents to the windows which had been missed during the major works. The only outstanding issue is the minor repair to an area of grouting, which will be completed at a time and date that is convenient for the resident."