A FAMILY of six squashed in to a two-bedroom council house in York have spoken of their anger and disappointment after waiting on a transfer list for FOUR years.

Jason and Alex Powney, who are 33 and 31, live in Hope Street, off Walmgate, with their four young children.

With children between the ages of ten months and nine years old, and one with special needs, the family say the situation in their two-bedroom home has become a living nightmare.

Mrs Powney, who suffers from mild depression, said: "We are in tears nearly every day. Everyone's up at about half-past five in the morning because we are so cramped. We have got bunk beds and they shouldn't have them because they are too young.

"We have even had councillors writing for us. They keep saying we're being awkward because we won't expand our search area but we have now put Heworth, Tang Hall and Fulford.

"We signed a disclaimer saying we would go into a three-bedroom house even though it would be cramped. We were told it would be quicker, but we were even further down the list."

The family thought there was light at the end of the tunnel, as they claimed they received letters saying they were second in line for a larger property. However, since then they also claim they have been bumped back down the list, and also that the application was frozen when Mrs Powney was pregnant.

A City of York Council spokeswoman said: "The council requires medical confirmation of a pregnancy before a housing application is altered accordingly. The application will be held as pending until the necessary documentation is completed.

"As soon as the necessary confirmation is received, the application will be reassessed with the updated details and made live again.

"We sympathise with the Powney family, but unfortunately the area they would like to move to has a very limited number of four bedroom properties.

"Larger properties tend to be family homes and, as such, the turnover is quite small. Mrs Powney has been advised that by limiting her search area so much, it is likely to extend the time taken for a suitable property to become available." The council also said that housing allocations were based on the relative need of different applicants, with a family who presents themselves as homeless taking priority over those already in housing.