Single mum Maria Le Beau has hit out at council bosses after claims she was housed in a place "not fit for an animal".

The 26-year-old broke down and cried after being given a "take it or leave it" ultimatum by Basildon Council.

Maria was offered the house in Hereford Walk as emergency accommodation after she was made homeless.

But her joy soon turned to tears when she and her four-year-old daughter Courtney walked through the front door.

Maria said yesterday: "It smelt like a dead person had been in there for a month. I just stood there and cried. It wasn't fit for a dog. I couldn't live there with Courtney."

She has alleged that the crumbling home came with a catalogue of dangerous defects.

They included:

Exposed nails on the stairs

A large hole in the living room ceiling

Bare wires in the electric cupboard

a lounge window off its hinges

Maria fled to a friend's home after turning her nose up at the offer.

She said: "I went there on the Thursday and they told me I would not get any heating until the Monday. They wouldn't even let me look at the house first."

A Basildon Council spokesman accepted the house was of poor quality and tenants were not given the chance of looking at the property before signing a lease.

He said: "Someone who applies for emergency housing is given a house at the lower end of the housing scale but we offered her a property in good faith that was suitable when the application was processed.

"Homes are inspected but there could be any number of reasons why the property has deteriorated."

He added: "If she had contacted us immediately we have been able to offer us accommodation for the night.

"It is up to the tenant to contact the utility companies to get their property connected."

Danger heating - Maria says the heating in her home is unsafe

Picture: MAXINE CLARK

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