A Herefordshire family has told Your Herefordshire about the living conditions that they were ‘forced’ to live in, following a devastating house fire.
Darren, who contacted Your Herefordshire, said:
“Between June and November 2024, my family – including two toddlers – were forced to live in conditions that were not just unsuitable, but outright traumatic.
“We were placed by the Herefordshire Council into The Talbot Hotel in Leominster that was unsafe, unsanitary, and dehumanising after we experienced a house fire that destroyed our home.
“We were denied the most basic necessities and treated like we didn’t matter. We were put on the 2nd floor despite specifically requesting not to be as I have an autoimmune condition meaning stairs are a huge challenge for me.
“As a result, I spent most of those 5 months stuck in a room with no way to leave.
“We weren’t allowed to cook. We had no access to fresh food, just a microwave in a shared room full of strangers.
“We had a communal fridge but our food was repeatedly stolen and tampered with. The council rejected our requests for reimbursement after we were forced to buy premade hot meals to keep our kids properly fed. Their justification? That it was a “choice” to not live off of microwave meals for five months – for toddlers.
“This kind of response shows a complete lack of empathy and understanding of basic nutrition, especially for growing children. Microwave meals every day are not nutritionally sustainable – and the NHS and leading dietitians agree. We were trying to survive, not treat ourselves.
“Meanwhile, the hotel itself was a hellhole:
“Mould, leaking ceilings, faulty electrics, and sulphur smells from the basement.
“Drug use, alcohol, and verbal abuse to go unchecked. Some were even involved. Police were regular visitors due to violence and crime.
“There was no proper security. My children were surrounded by unsafe individuals every day. Bedding was barely washed, and we weren’t allowed to clean it ourselves. Rats. Nails sticking out the floors.
“Only one staff member was ever on duty. Staff showed blatant personal bias, ignored policies, and showed complete disregard for safeguarding. I repeatedly emailed and called the council throughout this time, begging for help and support. I was ignored. No follow-ups. No action. I eventually had to go through the complaints process – even then, they downplayed the severity of everything we went through.
“After we were finally moved into self-contained temporary accommodation in November 2024, the psychological damage had already been done. I’ve since been diagnosed with PTSD from everything we were put through. This wasn’t just poor service – this was systemic neglect. And no one has been held accountable.
“The council, its housing officers, safeguarding teams, and contracted service providers failed us on every level. They left a young family in completely unfit conditions and then refused to reimburse basic costs or even acknowledge the full extent of the harm they caused.
“This post is a record of what happened – because clearly, silence gets you nowhere.”
