A Forest of Dean woman says she is facing eviction after the sudden death of her sister with whom she shared a housing association bungalow .

Gill Ward, 61, who lives in Broadwell near Coleford had been living with her sister Jane Hall who died unexpectedly last month.

Ms Ward says she has now been served with an eviction notice and cannot stay where she is because she had not lived in the bungalow with her sister for a full year. Ms Ward moved in to live with her sister last August last year.

She now says Two Rivers Housing has told her to move out and suggested she should move in with family or friends – despite Ms Ward’s claims that she has nowhere to go.

Ms Ward says she is still grieving the unexpected death of her sister and is now facing the prospect of being made homeless.

“Me and my sister were close,” she said. “She was a year older than me.

“Unfortunately she died on March 7.

“She went into hospital, we went up on the Sunday to have a meal with her in Fosters, in the cafe – then four days later she was gone.

“We still don’t know what she died of.

“All of her stuff is here. I thought I could stay in the bungalow because she informed Two Rivers I was staying here but they said because I haven’t been here a year I cannot stay.

Speaking last week, Ms Ward said, “They are giving notice today actually and say they want me out by May 25.”

Two Rivers Housing Association has since apologised for any additional distress they may have caused.

They say the rules around the way social housing is allocated means they are not able to simply change the tenancy into her name.

They say however Ms Ward can stay in the bungalow while they help her to find a new place to live and their housing team will continue to support her during this time.

“Firstly, we would like to apologise to Gillian for any additional distress our actions have caused,” a Two Rivers Housing Association spokesperson said.

“We understand that this is a really difficult time for her and her family. While our neighbourhood advisor was following our process, we failed to take the full circumstances of the situation into account and for that we are truly sorry.

“Unfortunately, there are rules around the allocation of social housing that we have to follow.

“This means that Gillian is unable to simply take over the tenancy of her sister’s home and we are working with her to find a solution.

“In the meantime, Gillian will be able to continue to live in the home that she has shared with her sister since August.

“Our priority now is to provide help and support to Gillian and her family. We will continue to work with her and do everything we can to make sure she has a secure home as soon as possible.”