Council tells garage holders to clear out

Leaseholders in School Crescent and School Lane were told to empty the garages, situated below council flats, while roofing repairs took place.

But Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing has since sent out letters to say this is not yet necessary.

Electrical installation man Neal Pickett, who has rented a garage near his home in School Grove for more than 20 years, said the move was short-sighted and had not given occupants enough time to find other storage.

“I have 22 years worth in stuff in there and I’ve lost a week’s pay having to move things,” he said.

“If your car insurance policy is based on your car being garaged and then it gets broken into what do you do?

“If the building work starts in April, why turf us all out now? And we don’t even know if we’ll get the space back.”

A spokeswoman for KNH said: “Unfortunately, some people received the notices before the letter explaining what was happening, and we can only apologise for any upset this has caused.”