THE nightmare continues for residents whose homes and lives were destroyed in the Gibb's Crescent explosion five months ago.

Several flats were destroyed in the Valentine's Day blast meaning several residents needed to re-homed.

However, some are now living in squalid conditions and have been targeted by thieves.

Among them is Habiba Gudal, who was at home at the time of the explosion, which has left her uninhabitable.

She is now in her second home after A2Dominion, which runs Gibb's Crescent, only offered her temporary accommodation until something permanent could be found.

Oxford City Council have provided a permanent home but she is now too frightened to stay in her new Cowley home after thieves twice smashed in her front door and stole clothes, a TV and jewellery she had been wearing at the time of the explosion.

She said: “I cannot sleep in this house. I am absolutely terrified they are going to do it again and I will be here.

“This is a nightmare that I feel I am not waking up from, more and more things just keep happening to me.

“They even took the paint cans the city council gave me to re-decorate with.”

Forced to spend nights on friend’s sofas, the mother-of-two who is diabetic and has three slipped-discs has begged the council to be re-housed following the ordeal, whose children are having to stay with family.

The 48-year-old added: “The house is not safe for me to bring my children to.

“I have to run wires across the kitchen sink just to plug my fridge in as there is literally nowhere else to put it.

“I do not have lights in the sockets and all the walls have bits which I can peel off.”

Spokesman for Oxford City Council Tony Ecclestone said: “We have visited the property to address Ms Gudal’s concerns and have arranged for some repairs and modifications.

“If she feels it is unsuitable Ms Gudal can reapply to the council’s housing register, but has not yet done so.”

Following the explosion, which destroyed a three-storey block of flats and killed 46-year-old Guido Schuette, Mrs Gudal was given a temporary home in the Old Christchurch Buildings by A2Dominion.

Group housing director the company Dawn Wightman said: “We supported Ms Gudal to help find her alternative housing and offer her both practical and financial help."

Another former Gibbs Crescent resident, Annie May, who suffered more than a decade of racial abuse from her deceased neighbour, said she could not take much more.

She had been staying on her nephew's family' couch and will soon have to move out but the Slade Park property A2Dominion have offered also has problems.

The 53-year-old support worker said it has taken more than two weeks to get a response from A2Dominion on them coming to inspect a hole she found in the ceiling.

She added: “I have lost everything, I have nothing left.

“My nephew, who I have been staying with since the explosion, says I need to move out soon as they have just had a baby.

“This lack of communication is not helping me, I cannot put my life on hold forever.

“And in all this time they have made sure that I have paid them the rent, even though I have not even been living there.”

A2Dominion said it was looking at finding Ms May financial support but did not respond to questions about the ceiling.

MP for Oxford East Anneliese Dodds said she was disturbed by how the residents were being treated.

She added: “One former resident in particular has been in regular contact with my office and it has been disturbing to hear that this clearly traumatised person has not been provided with anything near enough to enable them to try and start a new life, having lost so much in the explosion.”

Thames Valley Police spokesman James Williams confirmed paint cans, clothes, jewellery and a child’s passport were stolen during the burglaries on Tuesday, June 6 and between Thursday, June 8 and Sunday, June 12.

Residents with information are urged to call 101 quoting reference 43170164449 for the first burglary or 43170171098 for the second burglary.