Three-year-old Kayleb Godfrey has cerebral palsy and requires 24-hour care from his parents Aymie and Allan at their two-bedroom home on Butler Crescent.

But for six months, the couple have been pleading with Mansfield letting agency Moveahead — which is run by Mansfield District Council in partnership with several local housing associations — to move them into a larger house more suitable for their wheelchair-bound son.

"We need a house which has easy access for Kayleb, at the moment it is very hard to transport him and the wheelchair up the steps, in and out of the house," said Aymie.

"Only Allan can carry him into the house and up the stairs to the bedrooom, but this means that he has to be in at certain times.

"We need a three-bedroom house because we need more space, but we have been very flexible with what we want, it does not have to be adapted when we move in, as long as it has the capacity to be done."

Aymie says they have applied for houses in several areas including Ladybrook, Oak Tree Lane, Clipstone and Mansfield Woodhouse, but she fears they could be waiting for years to be rehoused.

"This is becoming more and more of a problem for us and they are giving us excuse after excuse," she said.

"He is a prisoner in his own home and as he grows up he is wanting to do more and more, but he is becoming increasingly confined.

"We have been asked to provide letters from doctors and physios which we have done, but nobody will discuss this problem with us and put a plan into action."

A spokesman for Mansfield District Council's housing department said they were aware of the Godfreys' circumstances and following a recommendation by the occupational therapist, they have been given top priority when applying for suitable three-bedroom houses.

"We are sorry for the length of time this is taking, but we are hampered by the lack of available three-bedroom properties," he said.

"This is compounded by the fact that specialist work would need to be carried out to the property to adapt it for the needs of the family and that only certain properties are suitable for this work.

"We would reassure the Godfrey family that we are keen to move them into a suitable property as soon as we can."