THE 75-year-old mother of a woman with autism and severe learning difficulties is scouring the city to find a room where she can be cared for when her day care centre closes.

Susan Jefferson, 49, cannot walk unaided and also suffers from epilepsy, physical difficulties, challenging behaviour and IBS.

She rents a room at the Hebden Rise Day Centre, in Acomb, where she keeps her equipment and her carers look after her.

But the centre closes in November and Susan's mum, Muriel, has been left to find an alternative ground- floor room with a kitchen and toilet for her daughter, which is big enough for all her equipment.

Mrs Jefferson claims social services had led her to believe they would find another room.

Instead, she claims she has largely been left to her own devices.

She even tried to place an advert in the Evening Press in the hope that someone would help.

"Susan desperately needs somewhere else and I am getting frantic now," she said.

"We were led to believe they (City of York Council) were going to help us, but now they say they won't, so I have been to estate agencies and tried all the community centres but there is just nothing that would be suitable for her.

"Some can offer her a room for a few hours a day, but she needs something that will just be hers that she can have all day every day because all her physio equipment has to be there."

Mrs Jefferson receives direct payments for Susan's care, which means the council is not obliged to find another room.

Although social services have found alternative day care at Yearsley Bridge Day Centre for Susan, Mrs Jefferson said it was entirely unsuitable.

"It would take me an hour to get her there in a morning from our house in Acomb."

A City of York Council spokeswoman said: "Susan's family opted to receive direct payments from the council. This gives Susan, and her family, the opportunity to organise her own care and support in relation to her day activities.

"The nature of direct payments means that it has become the responsibility of the family to find alternative accommodation for Susan's day activities after the closure of the Hebden site in November of this year.

"A member of the council's care management team has been helping the family, since July."

Portakabin offered to make a purpose-built room for Susan, but the family could not afford it.

Updated: 08:51 Wednesday, September 28, 2005