Having taken jewellery, cash and other household goods, the thieves left the house with a damaged back door.

Sanctuary Housing Association, the landlord, responded to her report about the break-in by sending a joiner to repair the doorway.

After boarding the entrance up, a housing inspector for the company told her she would have to wait up to eight weeks for a replacement.

Valerie voiced her concern about the safety and security of the repairs, and says she is unhappy with the lack of assistance provided by Sanctuary Housing.

“I was broken into last Thursday, between ten past two and three-twenty in the afternoon when I was out of the house.

Sanctuary have not spoken to me since they sent out a housing inspector last week. All they did was board up the back doorway with wood and nails.

“They said I would have to wait for around six to eight weeks for a new door.

“It is really inconvenient for me.

“I am scared to be in the house on my own and I don’t like to leave it either.

“I also have a 12-year-old daughter, which also worries me.

“Not only is it insecure, it is a fire hazard.

“They have left me completely high and dry on this.

“No one has spoken to me since the incident on Thursday.

“They are still building houses in the area so I don’t understand why they can’t just take a door from one of the sites under construction.”

Gordon Laurie, director of Sanctuary Scotland Housing Association said, “Following a break-in at this property towards the end of last week a new back door is required.

“The high-specification doors which we have installed in the new homes at Ardler do have to be ordered and manufactured and unfortunately this can take around 6/8 weeks.

“We will of course do everything we can to speed up the order for the door for this house.

“We have investigated the possibility of keeping a small number of doors in stock, however even small variations in sizes can affect the performance of the doors and it is best if they are manufactured to fit in each individual case.

“Temporary repairs to secure the property were carried out on Friday.

“We have already instructed further work to the door to try to provide both security and access for the tenant until the new door is fitted.

“The tenant does have the use of the front door to the house, but we appreciate the inconvenience caused when full use of a house is not available.”