A DISABLED DAD claims he is a "prisoner" in his York home after the council refused to move him from stone-throwing yobs.

Robert Smith said the decision not to relocate his family to another council house is "making life a misery".

Now the Tang Hall resident is considering taking the drastic step of living in his car with his wife and two children.

Mr Smith, who suffers osteoarthritis and needs crutches to walk, blasted City of York Council for making an "11th hour U-turn" on his transfer request.

He said: "I feel like a prisoner in my own home.

"I chain my gate up with padlocks and have cameras monitoring my car and house. I won't let my children play outside."

We revealed in April how the 38-year-old, who suffers severe knee, hip and back pains, begged to move after a year of torment.

He said youths vandalised his car, hurled eggs and bricks at his adapted Asquith Avenue home, taunted him about his disability and bullied his son.

Mr Smith received a council letter this month saying his request for a house transfer had been accepted.

But only days later the council wrote and said it could not provide Mr Smith with a property adapted to his needs.

However, Mr Smith said most of the adaptations, such as railings, can be easily moved.

He said vandalism had got worse since April.

If he was not moved soon he said he would rather live in his car.

"The council decision is making my life a misery. If I was a pensioner they would be bending over backwards to help me."

A council spokeswoman said it did not go ahead with Mr Smith's request after an occupational therapy team assessment, carried out after the first letter was sent, showed there were no appropriate properties.

"We are sympathetic to his situation, but his current home has been adapted specifically for him and is therefore the most suitable one for him at this time."

She said: "Because of the high demand for housing this situation is unlikely to change in the very near future."

The council would look to address Mr Smith's nuisance complaints.

Updated: 10:23 Wednesday, July 21, 2004