Mother arrives home from holiday to find her property had been gutted by housing association... who got the WRONG address

A mother returned home from holiday to find her house gutted after a blunder by a housing association.
The family thought they had been burgled when they arrived back at the terraced property in Walnut Street, Gorton, Manchester, to find Eastlands Homes had stripped it of curtains, carpets, a fridge freezer, a washing machine and even the family’s clothes.
Workers broke into the incorrect address to clear it after 'misreading' the house number.

Spot the difference: The mid-terrace home (left) was wrongly gutted by workers that should have gone into the end of terrace home (right)

It is believed they intended to go into a house just yards away at the opposite end of the street but instead stormed the house while the owners were away.
Upon arriving home, the victims believed they had been burgled and called 999, only for police to discover the mistake by Eastlands Homes.
The residents dashed to a nearby recycling centre to see if the goods could be retrieved, but they found most of the items had been moved on or destroyed.

The residents of the property declined to speak this morning, citing a ‘compensation agreement’, however a lady living there confirmed the mix-up.
A neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said: 'The housing association made a mistake.

'The woman who lives there was running up and down the street when she got home, screaming her head off.
'It soon became clear she hadn’t been burgled, it was due to all of the palaver with the mix-up of the houses.'

Wrong house: Workers broke into the wrong house in Walnut Street in Gorton, Manchester, which was just yards away from the correct house after 'misreading' the number

Eastlands Homes, who manage around 8,000 former council houses across East Manchester, are currently in the process of refurnishing the house and replacing items where possible. Workers from the housing association could be seen at the property today.
It is not clear how workers initially got into the house, but homes can be cleared if social housing providers believe a tenant has died or has left the property with no intention of returning.
Eastlands Homes confirmed the blunder but refused to give any details, claiming it wanted to protect the victim’s identity.
A spokesman for Eastlands Homes said: 'We can confirm that we removed a number of goods from a private home by mistake.
'We have put the matter right and replaced goods without any formal agreement and to the satisfaction of the resident who has accepted our sincere apologies.'

Housing association: Eastlands Homes confirmed the blunder but refused to give further details

Spokesman: Eastlands Homes said: 'We can confirm that we removed a number of goods from a private home by mistake'

'We have put the matter right': Workers from the housing association were in the road today

Greater Manchester Police confirmed the force received a call of a reported burglary.
A spokeswoman said: 'Inquiries were made and it was identified that a housing association had removed the items from the house.
'It was decided no criminal offence had taken place and the matter was not investigated further.'
Bosses at the housing association made headlines earlier this year after suggesting residents should give up Sky TV, cigarettes and bingo to make up for Government welfare cuts.