A PARTIALLY blind mum-of-two said she has been 'devastated' after builders left her family home in ruins.

The Elliott-Martin family, from Bicester, dreamed of extending their home in Launton to be able to give Aiden, four, and Imogen, eight, their very own rooms.

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But when their builders went out of business the family were left £40,000 out-of-pocket and with an 'unsafe' shell of an extension including a hole into their living room, dismantled kitchen and a half-finished bathroom wall.

Zoe Elliott-Martin, who almost completely lost her sight in 2013, said the house is unsafe and only made liveable thanks to the help of neighbours who cleared up after the builders downed tools.

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The 33-year-old said: "It is devastating. It is very hard for us and obviously the kids were looking forward to having their own bedrooms.

"It is very stressful and we just don't know which way to turn anymore. We are always reminded of it – it's our home."

The family said they were on holiday last year when builders planned to finish the work for their return, but various problems led the builders to downing tools before the family were home.

Mrs Elliott-Martin said the family attempted to take the business to court but said they were told it had been made bankrupt.

The family lost £40,000 and were forced to take down the 'unsafe' extension and start from scratch, advised by a building surveyor. Unfortunately, they are could not to afford to start again.

Hearing of their plight, Specsavers Bicester has called on the community to help the deserving family raise funds.

Mrs Elliott-Martin has been a long-term customer at the shop having always suffered with various eye problems: she has now completely lost her sight in one eye and can see only shapes in the other.

Specsavers Bicester store director Sarah Marshall said: "We know Zoe and her family really well and it’s heart breaking to hear what has happened to them.

"Having your home resemble a building site with no sign of it being resolved is bad enough for anyone, but when you factor in Zoe’s condition, it’s far from ideal.

"Initially we approached DIY SOS to see if they could help but the series had finished so we thought we would try and do something ourselves.

"We’ve set up a Go Fund Me page to try and raise the money needed to fix the work that has been left incomplete."

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The fundraising page has so far raised almost £2,500 of the £40,000 target.

Mrs Elliot-Martin added: "We have been very overwhelmed by the response already. There are lots of good people out there and it is unbelievable how kind people can be who don't even know us."

Anyone wanting to donate to the family's efforts can do so by contacting Specsavers Bicester on 01869 321422 or online at gofundme.com/cowboy-builder-takes-money-from-zoe