A SERIOULY ill sixth former is forced to sleep on the sofa of his Somerford home while his single mother has been waiting seven years for housing officials to find them a larger home.

Divorcee Lisa Pinfield, 41, has been on the transfer list since she and her two sons moved into the Twynham Housing Association property in Dorset Road in 2000 with the youngsters sharing one of the two bedrooms.

Now the boys have outgrown the shared room and while the younger boy, Liam, 12, suffers from asthma, his older brother Ryan, 16, is sleeping in the lounge.

Last year Ryan was diagnosed with the low platelet count blood disorder ITP - idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura - requiring regular hospital treatment, visits to a specialist in London, steroid drug therapy and the likelihood of future surgery to remove his spleen.

Meanwhile, jobless Mrs Pinfield, who is being treated for depression, is pleading with the housing chiefs at Christchurch to give her family a larger home. But despite their wait, cramped conditions and worsening health, Mrs Pinfield has been told her plight does not score enough points to qualify for as priority re-housing.

"I know they're short of houses, but if they could give me hope it would make me feel better," said Mrs Pinfield.

Ann Santini, of Christchurch council, said: "There was a recent change in points allocation for housing which said that two children of the same sex should share a bedroom. However, we have today received a letter from Mrs Pinfield's doctor who recommends that the two boys have separate rooms because of their health problems.

"She has now been placed on the waiting list for a three-bedroom properly, but it is impossible for us to give any time scale as we never know when a three-bed property may become available and there are quite a few people ahead of her on the list who have been waiting longer."