A motor mechanic is living in a caravan after being turned out of his childhood home by the City of York Council because he has no legal right to stay there.

Steve Turner, 35, lived in the same house in Moor Lane, Copmanthorpe, York, for nearly all his life until six weeks ago.

He lived there with his parents Kathleen and Bob, and later with his mother and her new husband Harry Morley, staying at home to help look after Kathleen before she died last year.

Then last month, Steve's stepfather Harry was telephoned by the council and offered a smaller council bungalow in Copmanthorpe - and was told Steve would have to find himself somewhere else to live.

This was after Steve had been on the council housing waiting list for six years in Selby, and then for another two years in York, after it took over responsibility for Copmanthorpe.

"When I rang the council they told me they're not legally required to give my anything because I was never the tenant," said Steve.

"What I would like is a small council flat on the outskirts of York. I've looked at private rental and buying but they are out of my reach.

"I've lived in the country all my life so I would rather live in a caravan than in a bedsit in town."

Steve, who works as a motor mechanic at Hunter's Car Centre, Acomb, is now living at the Ponderosa Caravan Park near Sutton-on-the-Forest but said he was hoping to find somewhere more permanent by the winter.

He said: "I was angry with the council, now I'm just tired of them."

Judith Jones, allocations and accommodation manager at the council, said: "We're desperately short of family houses so we couldn't let him stay there on his own and we can't automatically assume that because there is someone living in a house that they want housing.

We're not legally obliged to offer him accommodation but we like to look sensitively at the needs of people who are leaving the family home."

She said if Mr Turner contacted the housing allocations department he could be interviewed and would probably go further up the housing list because he was now living in a caravan.

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