A DISABLED York mother-of-two has labelled her new home the "house of horrors" after a catalogue of faulty fittings have made her life a misery.

Wendy Beatson, 29, said her newly-built home in St Martin's Court, off Leeman Road, was a danger to herself and her children.

Wendy, who suffers from severe epilepsy and is partially-sighted, said a number of light bulbs had exploded in their sockets, showering the flat with glass.

She added that her shower unit, which was hanging from the wall, sometimes produced scalding water without warning. On one occasion it had slightly burned her five-year-old son Stuart.

"We have gone through more than 100 light bulbs since we moved here in December," said Wendy.

"It is a house of horrors, it is absolutely scary. I am frightened of this place falling to pieces in front of me."

Other problems have included a door frame to her flat, which is hanging from the wall, and when Wendy first moved to the house, she found her mains water was coloured grey, making it undrinkable.

Wendy, who also has a ten-month-old son, Mark, said: "Since the day we moved in this house has not been right.

"Perhaps you should have little fiddly problems with a new property, but it should not be as barmy as this."

A spokeswoman for City of York Council, which is responsible for maintenance of the housing association property, said: "The problem with the shower has taken longer to resolve than we would have hoped and we apologise for this. We have now reached an agreement with the company that put in the shower which will mean it can be fixed or replaced if necessary.

"This work will be done within the next few weeks.

"We have not received any complaints about the electrical system but we have arranged for an electrician to check it over in the interests of safety."

Updated: 11:55 Thursday, September 19, 2002