A HAMPSHIRE family of six are begging a housing association for help because they are crammed into a three-bedroom home with severe damp problems.

James Taylor, 49, lives with his wife Elaine, 46, daughters Sally, 26, Claire, 23, Jenny, 19, and grandson Kyle, two, in the three-bedroom house belonging to Testway Housing Association.

He says the rooms in the house are so small that the family cannot fit the furniture inside without it touching the heaters and becoming a fire hazard.

And without the heaters switched on the damp problem in the house is so bad that the Taylors are having to redecorate every six months and continually replace furniture, clothes and bedding.

Mr Taylor, of Gurnays Mead, West Wellow, said: "It's a Catch-22 situation. We're just so fed up and we don't know what to do.

"We're having to redecorate every six months and throw furniture away every year because of the mould. The council says we're not overcrowded and every time Testway Housing tries to sort out the damp problem it doesn't work.

"We've been trying for seven years now to get something sorted. Testway keep saying that it's our own fault but what can we do?"

The house has no central heating and is fitted with storage heaters which Mr Taylor - who has a crumbling spine and receives disability benefit - says he cannot afford to run.

Instead he uses a gas fire to try and keep the family warm.

He says the damp is affecting his family's health, especially Elaine and Claire, who suffer from asthma, and Jenny, who is pregnant.

In Jenny's bedroom, which is no more than a few feet wide, Mr Taylor had to take out the heater to fit in the bed, making the damp so bad that water drips from the ceiling and walls.

He claims the family has repeatedly been turned down for a move to a bigger house, while his daughters have also been waiting unsuccessfully for a move.

Testway Housing property services manager David Tarrant said: "There's a great reluctance on behalf of the family to use the heating and the ventilation system that's been provided.

"Using a paraffin heater is the worst thing they can do because it increases the moisture in the atmosphere.

"I understand the number of people living in the house is not helping the matter."

But he said there is some good news on the horizon because all tenants in Gurnays Mead are to be offered full gas central heating in April.

Mr Tarrant said: "Following a stock count in West Wellow it has been recommended that the heating in houses in Gurnays Mead needs to be upgraded."

A spokesman for Test Valley Borough Council said: "At the moment it is unlikely the family will be moved even though there's a lot of people living there.

"From a housing point of view, they do need a larger property, but it's a case of availability.

"They have not got enough points at the moment and we will deal with them as soon as we can."