aEIGHTEEN months ago parents Lynsey and John Quayle won a long battle to get their family moved from a damp bedroom at a homeless hostel in Skipton into a suitable home.

Two weeks after their plight was highlighted in the Craven Herald the couple and their two young children were offered a council house on Moorview Road.

But since then they have had a new battle on their hands.

The home might be better but the Quayles claim their back garden is an unsafe jungle and blame landlord Craven Housing for not doing anything about it.

Throughout the warm summer, the couple's toddlers Shannon, two, and one-year-old Joshua have been cooped up indoors because their mum would not risk letting them out among the rusted spikes and rocks sticking up from the ground in the back garden.

Mike Smith, from Craven Housing, said that when the house and garden was inspected 18 months ago, before the family were moved in, it was found to be in an acceptable condition. Had there been junk or anything untoward left in the garden it would have been cleared away.

He said that under the tenancy agreement tenants were expected to maintain their own gardens and Mr and Mrs Quayle should have been doing that since they moved in.

As a gesture of goodwill a Craven Housing caretaker has been to the Quayles' home and felled a tree and left them a skip free of charge in which to put the garden rubbish.

Mr Smith said Craven Housing did maintain gardens for elderly or disabled people but added Mr and Mrs Quayle were young and able to do the work themselves.

Mrs Quayle said her worst fears had been realised when Joshua tripped and fell in the "tip", banging his head on a rock.

She added that she had already spent money the family did not have clearing out the rubbish, trying to dig out the metal, pulling down some trees and tidying up the smaller garden at the front of the house.

But she said that not only did they not have any more money to spend on making the back garden safe but she did not know where to start with the improvements.

"There are big stones sticking out, plastic sticking up and I've found bits of rusted metal in the ground. We would maintain it in the future if Craven Housing would make it safe and flatten it out," said Mrs Quayle.

"The kids can't play out as it is not fit for them, but it is a big garden and has lots of potential."