THE widow of a popular York bus driver says she's been left in limbo after being told she will have to leave her home following her husband's death.

Gill Tuite, 52, who lives in a three-bed council house in Foxwood that she shared with her husband, Chris, says she's struggled to find out what's going on with the house since Chris died on March 31. She said she's been told she will have to leave the house and downsize, but not when and where to and it's left her struggling.

As The Press reported last month, Chris died aged 59 following a heart attack. His colleagues at First York formed a guard of honour lining the streets to applaud as his funeral procession made its way through the city, accompanied by a double-decker bus. Chris, completed 25 years’ service with the bus operator last year, and was a regular face on its City routes.

Now Gill, herself a bus driver, says she can't get the council to tell her when she has to move out of her home.

She said: "They've told me I can't keep the house and that they're going to downsize me to a one-bedroom, but at the minute, with everything that's going on with my husband's death, I have had a lot to deal with. I'm grieving, I'm packing a house up where he has lived for 27 years and I can't get anyone at the council to tell me a timescale of when they want me to move. It's left me in limbo, not knowing what's going on, and I haven't been sleeping.

"If they could say they will give me a year to get everything sorted, but not knowing is not good for me."

Michael Jones, assistant director of housing at City of York Council, said: “We are always saddened to hear of the death of a tenant and have sent our condolences to Mrs Tuite.

“As with all bereaved residents, we work with them at a sensitive but timely pace to find an appropriate solution and an alternative place for them to live in their preferred location.

“Where the law allows a family member to take over a tenancy and stay in the home, we enable this to happen. Where this is not possible, we help them find the most appropriate housing for their needs and discuss a range of options including private rented accommodation, shared ownership, discounted sale and, depending on their circumstances, a social rented home.”