A FAMILY with a newborn baby have been living in one room of a hotel for a month due to a lack of council housing.

Rachel Benham and her husband, Dean, say they were forced to move from their previous home after three-year-old daughter Rhianna found drugs and played with them, believing the amphetamines to be play dough.

They also found syringes, and there were several incidents of vandalism to their home and parked cars nearby, they said. Rachel said she was also attacked outside their home.

Now, living in a room filled with single beds pushed together, the family are at their wits' end.

And Rachel and Dean feel they may be victims of discrimination because they are from the travelling community.

Rachel, 27, gave birth to baby Lucille on Wednesday January 5 by caesarean section. She and Dean, 25, have been living at Brooklands Hotel in Kerley Road, Bournemouth since December 5 with Anna-May, eight, James-Dean, five and Rhianna.

Rachel said: "They told us that they have had to put us in a B&B. We had a home in Oakdale but we were forced out due to drug issues.

"I have provided a consultant's letter to them to say that I should not be climbing up and down the stairs, but the council still say that the accommodation is suitable.

"We have lived in Poole all our lives. There are people who have been staying in the hotel through the council, which I appreciate is for all sorts of reasons, but I don't know what more I need to do to be made a priority given that I had a caesarean and a new baby on Wednesday."

Dean added: "The council have put us through hell and back. We should have a home by now. They just keep taking us back and forth.

"My wife has a letter from the head consultant of Poole Hospital to say that she shouldn't be walking up stairs.

"The council came back by offering a hotel in Boscombe, which would require her to walk up 15 flights of stairs.

"They are treating us really badly. We have never been a pain or a problem to the council."

Rachel said: "They don't want to help us. I don't know if it's because we're travellers. But they just want to leave us like this - living like dogs."

Ben Tomlin, housing manager for Borough of Poole, said: "We are unable to comment on details of individual cases, but we are working closely with the family to support them into more suitable accommodation.

"We appreciate the difficulties any family has when living in temporary accommodation but unfortunately the demand for social housing by far outstrips available supply.

"The emergency accommodation offered is the most suitable accommodation available at the time."

Ben added that anyone who is struggling with housing in Poole should contact the Housing Options Team on 01202 633804 so that they can try and avoid the need for temporary accommodation through information, advice and support.