A mum-of-five who received an eviction notice on the day of her husband’s funeral faces a move to a B&B across the county due to Canterbury’s chronic housing crisis.

Emma Grant, 32, says her two sons and three daughters will be uprooted and forced to change schools as Canterbury City Council struggles to cope with spiralling demand for family housing in the district.

Mrs Grant, of Scott Avenue, Canterbury, says her seven-year-old son Kyryn is receiving counselling after finding dad, Michael Grant, collapsed at the foot of the stairs on June 11.

Mr Grant, 37, had suffered a heart attack and, despite the best efforts of medics, could not be revived.

The family were dealt a further blow when their landlord ended their private tenancy, with an eviction notice being sent to the four-bedroom house on July 11 – the same day as Michael’s funeral.

Mrs Grant is desperate to secure a home in the district, where her family and friends live. Her children, who are aged between seven and 16, go to Canterbury College, St Anselm’s and St Joseph’s.

She said: “I was told by the council that we have to wait here until we get evicted by bailiffs and then we can get emergency housing, but it is likely to be a B&B in Medway.

“We are facing the first Christmas without Michael and we may not even have a home. My children really need stability. They have their friends here and after-school clubs.

“My baby keeps saying ‘mummy will find us a new house’. He thinks I am going to sort it out.”

The family have lived in the house for five years and have been asked to leave because the owner, who lives abroad, wishes to return home.

“We all want a fresh start as it is traumatic being in the house where Michael collapsed,” she said. “I understand that there are probably people worse off than us but we need a place we can call home. Kyryn wants to decorate his room, which I think will help him with the stress.”

Mrs Grant married tree surgeon Michael when they were just 21 and although they had recently separated they remained very close.

“He came around all the time and he loved watching the boys play football and the girls were real daddy’s girls,” she said.

Mrs Grant says she cannot privately rent as she is not working and that rents are far too high.

She said: “I have rented for years and I want the stability of a proper home. This lease was for five years and the time before that was three, it is never your home.

“I want to go back to college and do an access course so I can train to be a midwife but I can’t do that until we are settled.”

City council spokesman Rob Davies said: "We are very sympathetic to the situation Mrs Grant and her family are in, and are in regular correspondence with her.

"Mrs Grant legally has the right to continue occupying her current property at the moment. We are doing all we can to support her and her family to allow them to remain in the district if possible at the time she needs to leave the property."