A MUM from Poole with identical twin disabled daughters has hit out at the council for denying her support payments.

Tracey Bain, mother to five-year-old girls Samantha and Sebrina - both of whom were born with Down's Syndrome - has blamed the council for failing to help her claim respite, which she says is vital to help her care for her children.

The 45-year-old also has eight-year-old son, Kieron, whom she says loses out because her time is taken up looking after the twins.

It wasn't until Sebrina got poorly a couple of years ago that Tracey realised how much work was involved, and she has been fighting to get Direct Payments ever since.

"I've been fighting for this for the last two years," she said. "I'm exhausted. The girls are up from 5am to 8pm and social services just do not want to know.

"People have come out to see me and they have written reports and I have a report that says 'I recommend this lady get some respite'. But social services said the report was wrong."

The extra cash would mean she could pay a carer to look after the girls a couple of hours a week, allowing her to spend more time with her son and get some rest.

But her application has been refused on several occasions despite being recommended for respite by home inspectors.

Tracey says she knows of several other parents who receive the payment despite only having one disabled child to look after, some of whom are in the girls' class at Winchelsea School.

She says she has no one to turn to as many of her friends have disabled children and the parents of her husband - computer programmer Robert Bain - are elderly.

"I have had to struggle and struggle," added Tracey. "There's a loophole and it needs to be exposed or investigated. Life is really hard and they are saying 'you don't need any rest'."

Vicky Wales, head of children, young people and learning at Borough of Poole, said: "Whilst we do not comment on individual circumstances, we do assess every child individually based on their needs and family circumstances.

"After careful assessment, not all children with disabilities will meet the threshold for Direct Payments.

"If a child’s circumstances change, at a later date, parents or carers can ask for a reassessment."

She said the council offered and funded other schemes to aid parents with children deemed not eligible for Direct Payments.