SOME of East Renfrewshire’s most deprived residents are facing a bleak Christmas with no carpets, cooker or bed following the collapse of a firm that supplies furniture to the council.

First Furnishings went into administration on October 19, with the loss of 57 jobs and leaving many orders for goods up in the air.

The company was launched in 2004 to supply and install furniture, flooring and white goods to housing associations, letting agents and local authorities, including East Renfrewshire Council.

Barrhead woman Joanne Burns, 39, is one of the council tenants affected by the company’s collapse.

Living in a homeless unit before being offered a council flat in the town’s Manse Court, she was awarded a community care grant to make sure she would have essentials such as carpets, blinds, a vacuum cleaner and fridge-freezer.

However, First Furnishings went into administration on the day her goods were to be delivered – and, two months later, they still haven’t materialised.

Joanne told the Barrhead News: “I’ve been to the council every single week and they keep telling me they’re waiting on invoices coming back but that doesn’t help me.

“Surely they should have been able to help, no matter what is causing the hold-up?

“I’ve been living with stone floors for two months. It’s absolutely freezing. I’ve been burning through some amount of heating I can’t afford because the heat doesn’t stay.

“I’ve had the flu and had to get antibiotics. It’s really getting me down and the council isn’t telling me anything.

“It shouldn’t take two months for this to be sorted this out.”

Despite her bleak situation as Christmas approaches, Joanne insists she considers herself as one of the fortunate ones.

She explained: “I was lucky because I had furniture in storage – otherwise I’d be sitting with nothing. Some people are.

“I know one guy who was given a house and can’t move in because there’s nothing in it. At least in a homeless unit you get a bed.

“Now he’s wandering the streets, looking for people to put him up for the night.

“There’s another guy who has been left with nothing but a deckchair and a sleeping bag.

“Imagine that – having to sleep on a stone floor for Christmas.”