Samantha Henderson and Jason Bonner had being living in their house in Elmbank Drive for three years before the council decanted them to deal with issues of damp.

The council moved Samantha who was eight months pregnant at the time Jason, and their four year-old son last year, assuring her the damp would be fixed.

When Samantha returned she discovered council workmen had pulled up the laminate flooring throughout the house and the bathroom and had not replaced them.

Samantha told the Reporter she's had to borrow £550 to fix the 'mess' for the sake of her children.

She said: "My neighbour and I had complained about the damp, so they decanted us so they could fix it. A housing officer asked me to sign a disclaimer which she said meant they could throw away anything that was broken. I thought she meant it would be old toys and stuff like that.

"When I came back with my newborn I couldn't believe how they'd left it it was a building site. It was a shell, there was no wallpaper, no bathroom, no flooring. How did they expect children to live there?"

After a health visitor visited Samantha and her newborn baby she wrote a letter to the local authority stating that for health and safety reasons, a newborn baby could not be bathed in a bathroom the way the council had left it.

She added: "The council only came and fixed the bathroom when my health visitor got involved. Instead of enjoying time with my newborn baby, I went back to work after three months because I needed money to get a floor put down when the council refused to replace it."

The council said that Samantha was not due a replacement for her floor because she had signed a disclaimer form saying the council could pull up her floor.

Now, Samantha's neighbour, who also signed a disclaimer form has received a new floor from the council.

Samantha said: "They said I'm not entitled, but my neighbour signed all the same forms as me is getting a new floor. I had to borrow money from Jason's dad to make this house liveable for my children, and they won't help me. What is the difference between my neighbour and I? When I asked the housing officer about getting reimbursed she said 'but you're working now' as if they shouldn't have to just because I'm working."

A council spokeswoman told the Reporter: "We're sorry to hear that this tenant is unhappy with the service she has received. We have carried out redecoration work in the property and have arranged for housing officers to visit to inspect the floor and complete any work necessary."