Regional news

Dealers drove us out of home

Oct 25 2004

By Jon Tunney, Liverpool Echo

A FAMILY of eight are sleeping on a living room floor six weeks after being forced from their home by drug dealers. Richard Shields says he had to leave after a four-year feud after he confronted criminals in Dingle. There have been a series of assaults on his property and family, including his 73-yearold mother. He has been in hospital several times. The final straw was an arson attack on their Southern Crescent home, where they lived for 19 years. Arsonists set light to fencing and a shed at the back of the house. Mr Shields believes they knew he had highly explosive oxygen canisters in the shed. Story continues ADVERTISEMENT Now, after seeking shelter with relatives who do not have enough room, he is pleading for somewhere to live at a safe distance from the dealers. Mr Shields, 43, said: "We had a lovely four-bed house and now we all sleep on the floor. "The people who did this to us are sitting comfortably in their houses on the same estate and we are homeless. "It's hurting my children, and my wife is crying all the time. Christmas is on the way and we don't know if we'll have anywhere to live." Mr Shields and his wife Sandra, 41, have six children from the age of six to 22. Two of their sons have special needs, with one at a special school. He has appealed to housing associations CDS, Riverside and South Liverpool for a big enough home. Mr Shields has registered as homeless with the council, but after six weeks there is still no end in sight. He said: "We've been offered bed and breakfast accommodation, which I don't think is suitable for a family. "We've also looked round some houses which, to be honest, I wouldn't keep a dog in." A council spokesman said Mr Shields had been offereda range of options and would be able to bid for any suitable home that became available. Merseyside police said they were aware of incidents in Southern Crescent and are investigating an arson attack in September. A spokeswoman said: "All complaints made are being investigated as thoroughly as possible."

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