A YOUNG mother claims her family is living dangerously in a council house with a history of gas supply problems.

Sally Mellor wants to move out of the home she was allotted by the borough authority after she and her two children became homeless.

They have now been in the property in Frank Webb Avenue, Crewe for almost three 'unhappy' months.

The gas supply had been turned off. Without it, claims the 21-year-old, she and her family had been subjected to a sub-standard living.

"I think it's disgusting," she said. "I know it's still hot at the moment because of the summer but I thought the problem would have been fixed in a week."

Apart from heating issues, cooking is also a problem for the family without being able to use the gas supply.

"We've been forced to just use the microwave or go down the chippy," she said.

Two days after they moved in, water started to appear from underneath skirting boards.

Help did arrive and the pressure was turned down leaving just a small amount of hot water available from taps. That still remains the case.

But it is the gas fire that is causing the young mother most concern.

She claims she is worried for her children, Emily, 3, and Chelsea, 1, because of potential fumes escaping and perhaps worse.

Last month, the fire unit was investigated three times, apparently being condemned on the final visit.

Local safety campaigner Barrie Durkin is aware of the difficulties that the Mellors have encountered and says the house has a history of problems.

"Before they moved in, the house was boarded up and ruled unfit for human inhabitation.

"The previous tenants had problems experiencing fumes and the gas installations in this property have always been unsafe."

Assistant Head of Housing, April Higson said the matter was being dealt with.

"When Miss Mellor first moved into the house in May, a gas contractor did perform a safety check. There had been delays on this property because there was no card in the gas meter.

"He did notice that the unit had been damaged."

The contractors returned to encounter no card again and went back and discovered that the unit could not be turned on ."

"We are doing all we can and she does have other means of heat and hot water. The house is perfectly safe and contractors will be carrying out more work in the property," she added.

But Sally is still anxious to be re-housed.

"I'm not sure this house is ever going to be okay. I want to move. I don't trust it," she said.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.