Valerie Napper, 58, had waited two years to move from her home in St John’s Mews to Kitchener Street after her husband died, but the move in January turned into a nightmare when she found dog excrement on the bathroom floor, plug sockets hanging off the walls, exposed live wires and filth everywhere.

She said: “I can’t face the future like this. Trying to live in this home is unbearable.

“My husband Bill died two years ago and my former home in St John’s Mews had so many memories, I decided to make a clean break and move elsewhere, but after waiting so long for a property, this has turned into a nightmare.

“The previous owner must have used the bathroom as a dog kennel as the floor was covered in excrement.

“Me and my family have tried to clean the house from top to bottom, but four months on it’s still in a terrible state. No one has helped, despite numerous requests to the council. I don’t know where to turn.”

A council spokesman said: “Under normal circumstances the council operates an inspection of properties before they are handed over and the letting officer accompanies the new tenants to the property before the hand over takes place.

“As part of this inspection process a number of key checks are carried out and there is some cleaning.

“In some circumstances, however, tenants decide to take part in a mutual exchange of properties. As this is an independent exchange carried out privately between two tenants, the council does not carry out checks in the same way as under the normal allocation process.

“Therefore, the tenants themselves have responsibility for inspecting the property prior to moving in. We understand in this case, the tenant signed for the property under such a mutual exchange agreement.”

DIRTY HOUSE: Valerie Napper and her granddaughter casey Wadsworth in dirty council house. (d3744a819) Picture: Philip Bramhill