Cwmbran mum still without belongings months after flat fire

Sarah Woodcock lost the ashes of her daughter Kyla Louise, who died in 2014 aged just four weeks and one day after being born prematurely, in the fire at a Bron Afon property in Cwmbran in April.  

Sarah was visiting her neighbour on April 15 when she heard a big explosion.  

After hearing the sound, she ran downstairs to her flat to find a wall of fire and smoke.  

All her possessions including her passport, bank cards, clothing, her daughter’s ashes and death certificate were heartbreakingly destroyed.  

Read more:

• ‘I've lost my daughter’s ashes’: Woman loses everything as flat burns down

When she returned, Ms Woodcock, who had lived in the flat for eight years, claimed that a member of staff from Bron Afon told her a van would be arranged for her items.

However, when her partner's family arrived to collect them on July 19, there was no van waiting for her.

Ms Woodcock said: "They said to me I can see you are under distress so we will put all your stuff outside, contact you and assist you with getting it home."

The inside of Sarah's flat (Image: Supplied)

She also claimed that her partner’s family told her that her possessions were on the side of the street without any warning or van, but that has been disputed by Bron Afon.

Ms Woodcock, who had lived in the fact for eight years and had decorated it just last December, said the pain of the fire had "killed me off".

Christine Dugga, Bron Afon’s director of communities and placemaking, said they are still working with her to arrange for her items to be collected.

She said: “We made an offer to Miss Woodcock to provide a van to remove her belongings from the flat.

"Unfortunately, we could not go ahead with this plan as the safety and wellbeing of our colleagues is just as important as that of our customers. The inside of Sarah's flat (Image: Supplied)
“We agreed with Miss Woodcock that we would allow her access to remove her items from the flat by July 19, because work to repair the damage caused by the fire was due to start the following week.  

“However, Miss Woodcock did not remove the items as planned, so we put them into storage for safe keeping. At no time were they left on the pavement outside her flat. 

“We are happy to arrange delivery of the items to Miss Woodcock at a convenient time for her, and our teams continue to work with her to find the best possible outcome for her situation.” 

Sarah Woodcock's daughter Kyla Louise shortly after being born in 2014 (Image: Supplied)  

Initially after the fire, Ms Woodcock was living in temporary accommodation at a Premier Inn hotel in Pontypool with no cooking facilities.  

Bron Afon gave her a £100 Asda voucher food and drink, but this was not enough for food and clothing.