A FORMER Agrekko engineer who has only months to live after contracting a crippling disease is devastated that desperate pleas to a council for a suitable house have so far failed.

Stuart Morris, who is from Balloch, has Motor Neurone Disease (MND), and lives with his wife and family in Helensburgh in a rented house with no disabled facilities.

The 39-year-old says the unsuitable accommodation has robbed him of his dignity as he is sleeping in a living room because the bedroom door is too narrow for his walking frame.

He also has to go to his in-laws’ home to shower because he cannot use the over-bath shower in the Maitland Court house where the family live.

To make matters worse, Stuart’s wife Lorraine is suffering complications caused by type 1 diabetes and their eldest daughter Kaci, 16, has cystic fibrosis.

The family’s plight has won backing from Dumbarton MSP Jackie Baillie and from the charity MND Scotland, who have been urging Argyll and Bute Council to treat the Morris family case with urgency.

Stuart, who worked at Aggreko in Dumbarton for eight years, said: “It started with a slight slur in my speech in around February last year.

“I then noticed that, when I was walking, one of my feet were dropping down. I knew something wasn’t quite right so we went to the GP straight away.

“I went for blood tests, x-rays and a CT scan at the Vale of Leven Hospital before being referred to a neurologist.

“It was a few weeks later that the doctor told us that I had MND.”

Lorraine said: “With myself and Kaci not being well I had to ask – how long has Stuart got?

“The doctor said around two-and-a-half years. We were totally devastated.”

Stuart had to go on long-term sick leave, immediately plunging the family into financial uncertainty.

Now he wants to spend his remaining time in comfort with his family in a house suited suited to their needs.

But despite heartfelt pleas to the council, they are still waiting for a move to a suitable house.

And on learning about Stuart’s situation, his former Agrekko colleague Amy Stenhouse, from Dumbarton, felt compelled to help the family by setting up a fundraising page.

She told the Reporter: “He was just such a nice guy. I feel terrible.

“I worked with Stuart for four years. He was always one for helping people, he doesn’t deserve it.

“I felt I wanted to get some money together to help them and support them with any adaptations and enjoy the time they have got with each other.”

Craig Stockton, chief executive of MND Scotland, added: “Nobody affected by MND should have to go through this kind of stress to get access to suitable social housing.

“Our welfare and benefits team have helped the family gain access to some financial support, but in our view, a suitable home will allow the family to get the peace of mind they so desperately need.

“In our correspondence with the local authority, we have been informed that there are currently 43 applicants with the maximum of 200 points, most of which are for medical reasons, and that there are no vacant properties at present.”

Their hopes of getting another house were raised last week when the family’s plight featured in the national press.

Lorraine told the Reporter: “We thought the national press and TV coverage would get things moving for us. But we have heard nothing, not a whisper from anyone.”

Ms Baillie, who has been working with the Morris family for almost two years, said: “The family’s situation is getting desperate.

“I appreciate that ACHA are under severe pressure with waiting lists expanding all the time but when the condition of a family’s current home is affecting their child’s health and Mr Morris has a life limiting condition, it is entirely right that they are given the highest priority.”

In a statement, Argyll Community Housing Association (ACHA) chief executive Alastair MacGregor claimed that the Morris family have been made “one formal offer and “one verbal offer” of a three-bedroom ground floor flat in Helensburgh, but that it was refused on the grounds the properties were not in their area of choice.

However Lorraine disputes that, claiming no one has written to her or phone her, or offered her a house.

Mr MacGregor added: “If the family were to widen their area of choice it would be easier for the association to assist them.

“The association’s records show the family has been on the list for four years.”

A spokesman for Argyll and Bute Council told the Reporter: “We are fully aware of this particular case and are in discussions with registered social landlords in the area to try and find appropriate housing for the family, taking into account their needs.”