Horror for Leeds mother-of-four left homeless for two weeks then placed in ‘blood and poo’ covered guesthouse

The mother said she had to sleep in a van with her four children aged 18, 15, 14 and 18 months after being forced to leave her rented home in Harehills when the landlord sold the property.

She said that her desperate calls to Leeds City Council for support went unheeded until she was finally placed in a guesthouse on Monday (September 4), only to find that the attic room was “covered in blood” and posed a risk to her children.

The council has responded saying that it will contact the family to discuss future accommodation “as a priority”.

Speaking yesterday (Tuesday), the mother-of-four, who requested to remain anonymous, said: “It’s been awful. Absolutely awful.”

She said that after she left her home in Harehills on August 10 she was placed in a hotel in the city centre “for a few days” before the council “made me homeless for two weeks”.

She said she was able to sleep in a van that belonged to a friend with her four children during this period, saying: “That was the best I could do.

"The council knew this was happening and weren’t bothered.”

The mother said the council then placed her in a guesthouse with her four children on Monday, but that it was wholly inadequate. She said: “There’s blood and poo on the walls, the carpets are filthy and the water is brown.

"It’s an attic room and the window comes up to your knees so we can’t have it open with an 18-month-old around. It was 30 degrees yesterday and we couldn’t sleep.”

She said she has called the council repeatedly but they “just don’t want to do anything about it”, adding: “They should not be putting a mother and her children in there. And what’s more is that they threatened me with social services if I didn’t take the place.”

A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: “The family concerned have been placed into temporary accommodation for a short period. Any issues raised around the hotel have been rectified and further contact will be made with the family to discuss future accommodation as a priority.”