AN angry woman has hit out at council bosses, claiming they have left her with a sub-standard kitchen - while a perfectly good one sits unused two doors away.

Council tenant Marie Metcalfe, of Middleham Avenue, Bell Farm, York, said workers took out her kitchen to try to solve problems of damp, and is unhappy with the replacement they have offered.

The council said her existing kitchen was 15 years old, and could not be replaced with identical units.

But Ms Metcalfe, 40, says another council house in her street has an immaculate kitchen, but nobody is living in the property.

Ms Metcalfe said: "I found out I had a damp smell coming from my kitchen units and I could not clean it out.

"The council came out and took the kitchen out. They ripped the floorboards up and there were rotten joists and water under the floorboards.

"I had a decent kitchen in through Tenants' Choice, but now they are wanting to put cheaper chipboard in and they want to mix and match my units.

"There's an empty house two doors down with a brand new kitchen there, and they are wanting to give me this mixed, nasty one.

I have a grandson and two children and I have had no facilities overnight, and I am refusing to have this new kitchen put in.

"It will not last five minutes, and there is still water under the floorboards.

"But they are refusing to budge and are saying they have to put this in.

"Why should I have any odd kitchen when there's nobody using a new one two doors down."

A council spokeswoman, said: "Unfortunately, we are unable to find an exact match for Ms Metcalfe's original kitchen cupboards as we believe they may be up to 15 years old.

"We apologise that the replacement units are not an exact match."