Newcastle: Father's ashes thrown out in flat clearance blunder

Warren Dodds said it was devastating to lose the mementoes of his dad

A man lost all his possessions, including his father's ashes, when the contents of his home were thrown out in a mix-up over a flat clearance.

Warren Dodds, 29, had been on a short holiday when he returned to his flat in Newcastle to find it stripped bare and all his belongings gone.

Contractors working for the housing association had emptied the wrong flat.

Bernicia Homes has apologised for "the devastating impact" the error had caused Mr Dodds.

In addition to his father's ashes, Mr Dodds has lost his dad's watch, his jewellery and family photographs.

The trained barber, whose father died nine years ago, said: "It's devastating, I'm so gutted. All the pictures and memories of my dad are gone and I'll never get them back. It's all been destroyed."

Mr Dodds, who had been at the flat for 12 months, spent days contacting local churches in a desperate bid to see if the ashes had been handed in.

Warren's mum Jacqui said the mix-up was "heart-breaking and unbelievable"

His mum, Jacqui Dodds, said: "Is it right that part of our loved one is now lying at the bottom of a skip? Is that OK?

"I can't tell you the stress it's caused Warren losing his father's ashes and possessions.

"I've seen him drive around local churches to ask about the ashes. It's heart-breaking and unbelievable what's happened.

"I don't think they realise the impact of what they've done," she added.

At the end of August, Bernicia Homes had instructed a contractor, Orbis Protect, to clear a vacant flat on another floor of the building but Mr Dodd's home was emptied by mistake.

The flat is believed to have been cleared on 30 August, and was bare when Mr Dodds returned from holiday on 3 September.

Contractors mistook Mr Dodd's flat for the one they were asked to empty and stripped it

It is understood all of Mr Dodds' belongings were thrown in a skip.

He said the loss was devastating: "To think that everything I've worked for has been taken away in an instant, all in one day, gone.

"The only stuff I had was the clothes on my back and a couple of other bits of clothes. I can't even put it into words how I feel about it."

A spokesman for Bernicia Homes said: "We investigated and determined that whilst accurate information had been given to Orbis Protect about the property they had been asked to clear, they had accessed and cleared the wrong flat."

'World turned upside down'

Mrs Dodds said she thought the companies had been slow to help her son, who has since returned to the family home.

"His whole world has been turned upside down and he's now back living in his mam's back bedroom with nothing," she said.

"We've hit brick walls every time we've tried to get something sorted, Bernicia promised to stand by him and that the items would be replaced, but they also asked for receipts. How on earth does he have them, when all his possessions are gone?"

Bernicia said it had paid £700 to Mr Dodds to help with "living expenses", it also said it had agreed to re-house Mr Dodds "as a priority".

The family say Bernicia offered them a £5,000 interim payment on Monday, which they are considering.

A spokesman for Orbis Protect said: "Due to an ongoing legal case, we can't discuss any specifics regarding this."

Warren does not want to move back into his former home in Newcastle after what happened