A young family claim people are being treated "like animals" after they were forced to turn down emergency accommodation to protect their one-year-old daughter.

Kirk Sturips, 31, and partner Shannon Cole, 22, say it is disgraceful that the council tried to house them in a home they claim was “unsafe, unclean and covered in mould”.

They registered as homeless with Swale Borough Council but felt compelled to turn down the temporary housing in Rochester because of its dismal condition, which they claim was completely unacceptable for their daughter Marnie-Rose.

Exclusive pictures taken inside the property show cabinets hanging off the walls, broken tiles, a mouldy floor, loose electricity cables and dirty food cupboards.

There were also just three bathrooms for the 17 rooms in the shared building.

Now Faversham MP Helen Whately has stepped in to help.

Builder Mr Sturips said: “There’s no way I could put my baby in there. We were completely shocked by the state of the place.

“A homeless man living there warned us never to bring our child back there" - Kirk Sturips

“If it was just me and Shannon, then we could have dealt with it, but it was unsafe.

“A homeless man living there warned us never to bring our child back there and said he would rather be sleeping in a tent on the side of the road. Another family had been there for three months.

“There were almost 40 steps leading to our room – there is no way a mother and a buggy could deal with that every day.

“As we say, if it was just me and Shannon, it could’ve been OK. We are not doing this for sympathy."

"We want people to see the state of places they are putting families in. People are treated like animals and the council don’t seem to care.”

The couple went straight back to the council and showed them the pictures but the authority claimed it had inspected the property a week before and it was “acceptable”.

It did not offer them an alternative and the family are now sleeping on the floor at Shannon’s mum’s house in Charles Drayson Court, Faversham.

In a letter sent to the couple this week, the council says it no longer has a duty to offer them interim accommodation and the initial housing they were offered was “suitable”.

Mrs Whately is now taking action and has contacted the council’s head of housing Amber Christou.

Mrs Whately said: “I was upset to hear about Kirk and Shannon’s housing situation, particularly as they have a young child.

“It does seem surprising that the accommodation they were offered passed an inspection.

“Housing in this area is very limited but that’s all the more reason to make sure the housing stock we have is in a decent condition.

“I have written to the council asking them to look again at their decision.

"I hope we can get this sorted out and make sure the family have a decent home to live in as soon as possible.”

Swale Borough Council spokesman Phil Sutcliffe said: “When someone presents to us as homeless, the immediate priority is to get a roof over their heads.

"Emergency accommodation is not a permanent solution and is purely intended to provide somewhere safe and warm until more suitable accommodation is found..." - council spokesman Phil Sutcliffe

"We provide short-term emergency accommodation wherever it is available at the time, which can depend on demand not only from ourselves, but neighbouring councils.

“We do work with providers to make sure the accommodation is safe, and in this case, checks showed the electrics were safe, and no mould was present.

"Some of the furnishings showed wear and tear, and works had been taking place which had not been completed - such as tiling around the toilet – but our concerns have been shared with the owner who was already addressing them.

“It must be said, emergency accommodation is not a permanent solution and is purely intended to provide somewhere safe and warm until more suitable accommodation is found, usually within six weeks.

“In this case, the homeless case is still live, and the housing application is being processed, but we are awaiting further information from the applicants before it can proceed.”