A FAMILY of five has been forced to sleep rough on a neighbour's driveway after being evicted from their home.

Mum Eula Payne, 44, and her children David, 11, Zoe, 12, Michael, 18, and Malcolm, 21, were evicted by bailiffs on Wednesday and had nowhere to go. It wasn't until Friday that the police and council managed to find the family shelter in bed and breakfast accommodation.

Mrs Payne, who has suffered two heart attacks and is battling severe arthritis, was devastated that her children had to sleep outside with no roof over their heads. She said: "It's been absolutely horrible. I have got a heart condition and arthritis so the cold hasn't helped. Not having any toilet and washing facilities - I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.

"There's nowhere to put anything and we have lost everything we own - it's all trashed because of the rain. I have to go to the Salvation Army to get clothes for the children."

The eviction was the final result of an on-going argument between Mrs Payne and her private landlord concerning the house in Gordon Road, Strood.

"There was a big dispute between me and the landlord. The ceiling was falling down. There was damp. We had light sockets hanging off. He didn't do anything, so because of the work that needed doing, I decided to stop paying rent."

The council initially refused to help but after intervention from the police the family has been placed in temporary accommodation.

Mrs Payne said: "The council said I had made myself intentionally homeless but the only way to get to this person was by not paying the rent."