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A grandmother has moved into a tent with her family because
she claims she has nowhere else to live.

Unemployed Carol Crump, 43, says she has been living in
sub-standard conditions for more than a decade and has been offered
no help when she tries to bid for council housing.

Ms Crump claims the three-bedroom property she rented in
Tenterden was too damp and not fit to live in.

A recent flood caused damage to the house, and when the council
said it had no available properties to shelter her and her family
it was the final straw.

Ms Crump plans to live in a tent in a field in Biddenden with
her son Charlie, 21, daughter Ruth, 15, and three dogs until she is
given what she believes is suitable accommodation.

She claims despite water damage making her property
uninhabitable she was told by council staff to 'camp out’ in one of
the drier rooms.

Ms Crump says moving into her tent was a desperate last
resort.

She said: “I had no option but to do this, there was nothing
else I could do.

“Living in a tent is such a struggle. I can hardly walk where I
have been sleeping on an airbed. The stress has given me really
high blood pressure. I haven’t been able to sleep properly or eat
properly and have lost more than half a stone in a week.”

Ms Crump says this is just the final instalment in a decade-long
battle to be housed by the council.

A spokesman for Ashford Borough Council said Ms Crump’s
accommodation was suitable.

“Mrs Crump has been living in a privately rented home for the
past 10 years but wishes to be housed by the council. Her housing
application attracted no points as the three bedroom house is
suitable for this family’s needs.

“Our officer has visited the property and assessed it as safe to
live in and advised Mrs Crump to move back in once the property is
dry.

“However Mrs Crump has advised us she has moved out and given
notice to the landlord. Her housing application has been reassessed
but by taking this action she has worsened her own
circumstances.”

Anthony Field from property management firm BTF, which maintains
Ms Crump’s Tenterden property for her landlord, said he felt sorry
for Ms Crump.

He said: “She has lost a lot but she doesn’t have to be living
in a tent. She has handed in her notice to leave the property
completely of her own volition.

“I would do anything I can to help her but she has got to want to
be helped. If she wants to continue in her house she is more than
welcome.”