AN irate Bury man is threatening to protest outside the town hall against the condition of his council home.

John Berry, of Lichfield Drive in Bury, claims to have had problems with damp in his home for several years and made frequent complaints to the council.

He said: "If I had anyone else as my landlord I would have been able to take them to court years ago. I have made numerous complaints, written many letters and gone through all the different channels but still don't seem to be getting anywhere.

"I even sent a letter to the Prime Minister and got a reply, on behalf of John Prescott, saying they would contact the council and have someone sent out to rectify the problems."

Mr Berry admits that Bury Council did send a surveyor to view the damage in March and some repair work was carried out, but he alleges that, since then, he has been forgotton.

He said: "I've told them at the council that I will be protesting outside the town hall with placards and they are just not interested. Due to the hot weather last weekend, we have now have an infestation of ants. It is very distressing -- I have an 11-year-old daughter who suffers from asthma and it doesn't help."

A spokesman for Bury Council said: "We are surprised and disappointed that Mr Berry has chosen to publicly criticise in this way because we have tried to work with him to resolve his issues. We are to visit him again and, as recently as Tuesday, Mr Berry expressed his thanks for our prompt response."