A council's lack of social housing has again been criticised - this time by a couple forced to live in a one-bedroom flat with their two children.

Thomas Gibbs, 44, and his epileptic wife Helen, 26, were yesterday told by West Oxfordshire District Council's housing department that it cannot offer them anything larger for the foreseeable future.

The couple, who live in an upstairs flat on Witney's Eastfield Road estate, are angry that no move is in sight.

They first asked for a move 17 months ago when their first boy, Liam, was born.

They now have another baby, one-week-old Aden, and Mr Gibbs has given up work to care for the children because of his wife's condition.

Mr Gibbs said: "We have had doctor's letters to the council and a health visitor coming once a week. But we get the same answer every time we ask - sorry, there's nothing for you.

"It's not good enough. We need an extra bedroom so we can all sleep at night."

The couple are the latest to be told by the council that there is a long wait in store. Even homeless families are now sent to Oxford for bed-and-breakfast accommodation.

The district's cabinet councillor responsible for social housing, David Robertson, said there was a crisis with 1,100 people registered as needing social housing.

He said: "This family is not unique. I get calls from a lot of people who are desperate. The situation is serious.

"It is going to be difficult in the immediate future, but we are putting in place an aggressive social housing policy to meet some of that demand."