A YEAR-LONG wrangle over a family's troublesome windows has been solved - with a bit of help from the Evening Press.

At one point Mick and Julie Ellerby, from the west side of York, believed their holiday was in jeopardy because double glazing installed by Noel Clarke Windows was faulty.

The £2,600 units were installed in June last year, but the couple claimed some were permanently jammed open, while others fell off their hinges when used.

They said the Osbaldwick-based firm had returned six times to try to fix the faults, but one year later they feared they could not go away because their home was not secure.

The exasperated Ellerbys went to City of York Council Trading Standards for advice and contacted the Evening Press to highlight their plight.

Now they say the company has agreed to change the window hinges and even bring in an independent expert to look at the work if the problem is not resolved.

Mrs Ellerby said: "We've come to a compromise. They are going to change the hinges.

"But if I hadn't rung the Evening Press I would still be in the state I was in for the past year."

In a statement to the Evening Press, a spokeswoman for Noel Clarke Windows said: "I have investigated your comment regarding Mrs Ellerby's windows and accept that she has been inconvenienced due to a batch of defective hinges.

"I am sorry that the company has not responded satisfactorily and we have agreed to meet in an effort to resolve this matter quickly."

A spokeswoman for City of York Council said Trading Standards officers were "monitoring the situation closely".

She said: "Our Trading Standards department has advised the lady (Mrs Ellerby) of her rights."

Mrs Ellerby claimed that two of the upstairs windows, one in the couple's bedroom and another in their son's room, were permanently jammed open - leaving their home insecure and noisy from passing traffic. Another three windows slipped off their hinges every time they were opened.

"We're desperate to get this sorted out," Julie told the Evening Press. "We've booked a holiday abroad, but we can't leave the house insecure."

Mick, an engineer for NEDL, said: "I've had nothing but hassle because of it. My kids keep moaning all the time that they are cold.

"We aren't after compensation or anything, we just want the windows fixing."

Updated: 10:46 Friday, May 21, 2004