A FAMILY whose council property was deliberately set on fire are still waiting to be provided with a new home.

Gareth Rees, 42, and wife Emma, 37, of High Street in Saltney, woke to the terrifying sight of their cars and their front window ablaze in the early hours of Sunday, September 30.

Not only did they lose their cars, a BMW and a Jeep, their rented property was also damaged in the fire, meaning they have since been living in temporary lodgings.

But the Rees family, which includes three children, are still waiting for Flintshire Council to supply them with a new house seven weeks later.

To make matters worse, the tenants are also still paying rent for the damaged property, despite not living there as their children are too frightened to do so and on the advice of North Wales Police who deem the family to be under threat of further such attacks.

Mr Rees said: 'The council offered us a grotty house in Holywell as a swap for the house we were in. It's a disgrace.

''Not only was the house not anywhere near as nice as the one we were living in, it simply wasn't practical for us to live there as we were without cars following the arson attack, so how would we get our children to school?

''Since then, they have just done their best to ignore us, stalling on the enquiries we put in, making excuses about needing evidence from the police investigation and the like.

"They have been a nightmare to try and deal with.''

And Mr Rees believes his family have been through enough in the last few months, as the arson attack followed the death of his brother Barry who took his own life in April.

He added: ''I'm out of pocket yet we're still paying for a house we're not even living in anymore. We've been through so much and now this uncertainty of our living arrangements, it's just too much to bear.''

Neal Cockerton, Flintshire Council's chief officer housing and assets, said: ''The council works with a range of partners to ensure the safety of tenants.

"The council is supporting a permanent move for this household to an area of their choice.

"An offer of temporary accommodation was made but was not accepted.''

North Wales Police officers are still investigating the original incident.