A FAMILY of five are homeless after turning down a council house, saying it was too dirty.
Davis Dyer, 39, and his 35-year-old partner, Angela Cummings, are relying on the generosity of family and friends after making a stand against a Dalton house offered to them by Kirklees Council.
The couple and their three children were made homeless in February after the private house they were renting was sold.
They turned to Kirklees for help and were given free bed and breakfast accommodation while they waited to be housed.
When a three-bedroom house on Harp Inge at Dalton came available last week the family went to look.
But they were so appalled at its state they refused to live there.
Mr Dyer said: "It is a complete mess. We can't live there.
"The house stinks of urine and there has been no attempt to clean it.
"It is a disgrace. The beds are disgusting, the bath is stained and filthy and there are no carpets downstairs, just some sticky, dirty lino.
"I wouldn't dream of putting my family in that house. It is unfit to live in."
A Kirklees spokeswoman said the house had previously been occupied by a family with four dogs, which was why the lino had been put down.
But she added that the house had been cleaned and redecorated when the tenants left.
She also said the council had offered to carpet the living room and dining room.
The spokeswoman said: "The properties we have are often let several times a year and the impact that tenants sometimes have means they will not be show-house standard.
"However, they are always checked and if new tenants have difficulties they can always discuss them with us. If appropriate, we will deal with the difficulties."
She said the fitted kitchen and bathroom would be modernised in time under the Decent Homes programme
But she said neither the housing officer nor other prospective tenants had noticed the alleged smell.
She added: "This is a family in crisis and the council has stepped in to help meet their needs and carry out their duty under homeless legislation."
But despite the council's reassurances, Mr Dyer said: "It is a bad house in a bad area. I wouldn't dream of staying there."
