SCHOOLBOY Darren Fisher has to travel across town to his grandparents' house to have a bath because his council house has no hot water.

His parents' hot water boiler was condemned two weeks ago, and there is no sign of it being fixed. And this is only the latest in a catalogue of disasters to hit the house.

The ten year-old from Starrgate Drive, Larches, Preston, still sleeps under three quilts after the family's central heating system was switched off because it was declared unsafe - and never repaired.

Now his parents, Sandra and Spencer Panzer, are close to dispair. Sandra, 32, said: "I feel so depressed by it all. I can't believe we are paying the council £53 a week rent and nothing is getting fixed."

The family moved in last November with the intention of buying the house. Since then they have made many complaints to Preston Borough Council about the state of the property, but little has changed.

The bathroom could not be used even if there was any hot water as the hot tap has seized up and can only be turned with a wrench.

Spencer, 29, said: "I am a body builder and I can only just twist the tap."

The Panzers have spent more than £2,000 of their own cash on the house including £700 to secure windows which would not shut and which had been wired up with coat hangers.

Larches' Ward Councillor John Monk said tenants who offered to buy their council house often had trouble getting repairs done.

He explained: "It happened to me. When you put your name down to buy the house, for some unknown reason the repairs are not done." The Chief Housing Officer and the Chief Executive of Preston Borough Council were unavailable for comment on this issue. But Councillor Michael Haughey, Deputy Chairman of the Housing Committee denied Councillor Monk's explanation. He said: "It is a town-wide situation. People are having appliances condemned then there is a backlog of repairs to be done."

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