THE property services director at Carrick Housing has resigned suddenly following the sacking of two staff for falsifying a safety certificate for a tenants gas boiler.

A statement issued to staff by executive director Mike Owen said: "Many of you will now be aware that this morning Mark Sawyer our Property Services Director resigned with immediate effect.

"We have had a period of uncertainty and I am now sure things will begin stabilise. We just need to keep our eye on the bigger picture and continue to deliver excellent services.

"We are not immediately going to advertise the Property Services Director post as we need to look at the impact of the unitary proposals.

"We will hold a staff away day in the near future where everybody will have the chance to be involved in designing our housing and repair service to meet the challenges ahead."

The resignation follows the sacking of two employees last month for gross misconduct after a falsified safety certificate issued on a tenant's boiler was produced during an external audit.