A HEARTBROKEN dad has lost thousands of pounds after a woman wrecked the house he is planning to move into with his dying daughter.

Steven Sutkus finally won a long-running battle to evict the female tenant who was refusing to leave his property in Largs' Woodcroft Avenue - despite not paying a penny in rent for the last six months.

His daughter Kellie, who is battling brain cancer, has been forced to live 60 miles away with family in Stirling while Steven fought to regain access to their home.

The woman finally went earlier this week - but left a trail of filth and damage in her wake.

Steven, who has been forced to live in a tiny property in Union Street during the wrangle, told the News: "I don't want my daughter dying in a hospice.

"I want her back home.

"Her diagnosis was that she was only supposed to survive until Christmas, so who knows how long we have got now. "Kellie is paralysed down one side and that will spread with the tumour in her brain.

"This whole episode has been like a bad dream."

Steven explained how he issued a notice to vacate on the tenant late last year.

He says this was met with rent being withheld, despite him telling the tenant he wanted the property back to reunite and care for his cancer-stricken daughter.

Steven added: "The annoying thing, is I was told what she was doing was all legal and she was protected.

"In my line of work I am paid eight pounds an hour as a security guard yet I was having to fork out £180 an hour to lawyers to try and resolve this. It is ridiculous.

"The final insult was when I got back in to see the state of the place.

"It is now also going to cost me thousands to clear and repair the house and more to clear the back garden and rebuild the fence. "It means I will not be able to afford all the work I had planned to adapt the home for Kellie's special needs.

"It is criminal that a tenant can get away with this and not be held accountable."

Steven, who has had to to take various loans to fund the fight to reclaim his home, says the repair bill will be substantial.

He said: "The whole house is a complete tip.

"The ceiling in the living room is ruined, the backyard is an overgrown jungle and there is a smashed window.

"That doesn't even cover all the damage to walls, floors and the kitchen.

"It is hard to know where to start."

The First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber) was recently formed to deal with evictions, determinations of rent or repair issues in private sector housing, to help resolve issues that arise between homeowners and property factors.

Local letting experts have warned landlords that it could take at least six months to regain their property under the current set-up.

The tenant spoke to the News before her sudden exit and said she was upset at having to pay £500 upfront when she moved in.

The pregnant mum said she suffered from bipolar and depression and as such was limited in what she could do in terms of tidying the garden.

She said: "There was a basic blockage in the shower which caused a flood which damaged the ceiling light fitting.

"I phoned Mr Sutkus to keep him fully informed and I asked him to get a light fitting and he refused.

"It wasn't a proper eviction notice that was handed to me in December.

"I gave up a six years tenancy agreement to move into Mr Sutkus' private let with the understanding it was a long-term let."

She also claimed: "The house is spotless inside.

"I am a single woman with a baby on the way, and a young daughter, and this has all been an absolute nightmare.

"As far as I am concerned, I have done nothing wrong."

But Mr Sutkus says he has been left badly exposed by the current rules and regulations and will now be badly hit in the pocket as a result while trying to care for his gravely ill daughter.

He said: "The law has to change."