A FAMILY that has battled with damp in their home for 12 years has pleaded with the council to move them for the sake of their health.

Mr Graham Scotson, of Cornwall Drive, Bury, contacted Bury Council to ask again if his family could be moved, following the birth of their daughter, Hannah, two weeks ago.

Mr Scotson, who lives with his wife, Karen, and their two children, said: "I have been told that we cannot be moved from our council house because we are not a priority as we already have a home. But the damp is terrible inside the house. I am worried about the health of my family.

"My son Matthew, who is 11, has asthma and the damp is making it worse. We are all sharing one bedroom at the moment because the wallpaper in his own bedroom is almost black with mould.

"The baby is sleeping in a carry cot on the settee in the living room. We can't go on like this."

Mr Scotson said that the problem had been ongoing for more than 12 years.

He said: "We have paid £180 ourselves to have a laminate floor laid in the kitchen because it was wet through. And when we put the heating on, the place smells so musty."

A spokesman for Springs Tenant Management Organisation, said they were aware of the transfer matter and were not unsympathetic, but there were only 300 properties on the estate. Very few of them had three beds and there are no vacant properties among those at the moment.

A spokesman for Bury Council added: "We are aware of this family's transfer application and we are currently working with them."