HUNDREDS of complaints were made to Winchester civic chiefs during the winter about damp council homes.

The city council’s housing committee held a special debate yesterday about the issue.

Members heard that in most cases it was not shoddy design or poor repair work that was to blame.

Instead, housing officers said the main reason was the way that tenants use their properties.

For instance, many dry clothes indoors, others have lots of furniture in small spaces, while some leave windows closed for weeks on end, trapping moist air.

Giving tenants advice rather than moving them or paying for costly refits was often the best policy, the meeting heard.