AN elderly woman with hearing difficulties claims she has been waiting three months for her vibrating smoke alarm to be replaced - because the instructions for the new alarm are in Dutch.

Great-grandmother Mair Campbell, who is profoundly deaf, needs a special smoke alarm which she can place under her pillow.

Her previous smoke alarm stopped working after a power cut and she says she has been waiting since December for it to be replaced by Caerphilly council.

The 81-year-old widow, who also suffers from eye problems, told the Argus the council has said the company that delivers and installs the alarms for them cannot do so at the moment because it needs the Dutch instructions translated into English.

She is now extremely worried because she has to take her two hearing aids out at night and would not hear a normal smoke alarm beeping if there were a fire in her council house.

"I first phoned the council on December 6 and have tried to phone several time since then but still nothing has been done," said Mrs Campbell, who lives in Pontllanfraith.

"I am worried that if there were a fire then I wouldn't wake up. You are always being told that it is necessary to have a smoke alarm.

"It is all very frustrating and upsetting for me.

"When they installed the last alarm, it didn't take long. I cannot believe it can be this difficult."

Pontllanfraith councillor Malcolm Parker, who was contacted by a desperate Mrs Campbell, said: "I telephoned social services for Mrs Campbell and was told that the company that installs them cannot do it yet because they need the instructions translated.

"This is not some masterpiece of engineering!"