A single mother and her child have been told they have little chance of being offered a council house after waiting for more than five years for one.

Annette Clark, 25, and five-year-old Jake, have been forced to live with her parents, Rosy and Steve, and brother, Elliott, in Bicester Road, Kidlington, since 1996.

When Miss Clark applied for a council house in Kidlington after separating from Jake's father in early 1996 she thought that a property would be available in around six months.

Five years later Miss Clark is still waiting and fears that she may never be able to live an independent life because she does not have enough points.

She said: "I've had 44 points for the last five years but you need 65-70 points to be rehoused.

"I'm fed up with it. I want my own privacy and freedom and so do my parents, Jake needs his own space and it's awkward for my brother."

Jim Danks, principal housing officer at Cherwell District Council, said: "There are 17 people in a similar situation to Miss Clark in Kidlington.

"The realistic chances of her being rehoused are fairly slim."