A terminally ill grandmother who returned home from hospital to find her flat left “in a state” says she has been called a liar by the housing association which owns it.

Rita French, 84, has lived at the Combewood sheltered housing complex, in Horseshoe Lane, Garston, for 20 years.

The ex-hotelier went to hospital for a routine check-up at the end of June, only to receive the devastating news that she had terminal pancreatic cancer and just a couple of months to live.

While she was away, a Watford Community Housing Trust electrician came round to inspect an "unauthorised" rewiring job which had been carried out on her dishwasher.

However Mrs French says she returned to find the contractor had left her kitchen in a mess.

“My daughter and grandson said ‘you want to have a look in the kitchen’. I couldn’t believe the state of it. The cooker was back to front, there were marks on the carpet,” she said.

“Wires were all sticking out, the carpet was in a mess, there was stuff from the shelves left out on the counters.

“You couldn’t get in there to make a cup of tea - there was mess everywhere. He hadn’t even attempted to clean up.

“The trust said he didn’t leave anything in a mess. I said he bloody well did because I don’t live like that.”

Mrs French, who has already survived skin and breast cancer, is now refusing to pay for the callout, saying she wants an apology from the trust instead.

However the trust says its electrician did not create any clutter which was not already there.

The trust’s director of operations, Ben Johnson, said: “The safety and wellbeing of our residents is our number one priority and we are legally obliged to ensure that our homes do not pose a risk to tenants.

“We recently visited the property as we have serious safety concerns following some unauthorised electrical works that were carried out by a third party.

“We instruct all of our operatives to respect our residents’ homes and to leave them in a clean and tidy state after works are undertaken.

“We will continue to work with Mrs French to ensure that her home is made safe as quickly as possible.”

Mrs French, who has decided against chemotherapy treatment, says she “won’t go out with these lies against me”.

“I have been through hell and back. Had cameras up and down me, all kinds of tests,” she said.

“I’m not bloody paying. This is their apartment - I keep it immaculate.”