A TEENAGER left severely disabled after a road accident is living 80 miles from his family because suitable housing cannot be found in Southampton.

Doctors have declared 14-year-old Chris McBeth well enough to return home after seven months of intensive rehabilitation in Surrey.

But the family home in Aldermoor is not big enough to meet his needs - and city housing officials say they have nothing else suitable.

Now his parents are appealing for another tenant in western Southampton - possibly with grown-up children who have left home - to agree to a house swap to help Chris.

Chris's mother Claire McBeth, 33, said: "It has been a traumatic time for all of us. It was touch-and-go whether Christopher was going to make it.

"We are still coming to terms with what has happened. Everyone has been brilliant but now we just want to bring him home.

"We all miss Christopher every single day and don't feel we can move on like this.

"It breaks my heart every time we leave him there. I feel like I am not his mum any more."

Both Hyde Housing Association - the McBeths' current landlords - and Southampton City Council have tried in vain to find a four-bedroom property which can be adapted to meet Chris' needs.

Claire, a learning support assistant, said: "We have been told we are a high priority but we have also been told there are five other families who are in a similar situation. This is something that could have happened to anyone. We didn't choose to be in this position." Chris, a pupil at St George Catholic School, Swaythling, survived against all odds after being hit by a car as he crossed Lordshill Way on May 13 last year.

The teenager, who suffered serious head injuries and a broken leg, spent a month unconscious in intensive care at Southampton General Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery when his condition deteriorated.

Last November, he was discharged to Tadworth Court children's rehabilitation centre in Surrey, where he has been a patient ever since.

Now brain damaged and confined to a wheelchair, Chris remains unable to speak but has just started learning other ways to communicate. His parents currently travel to the centre every four days to spend precious time with their son.

Staff say they have done as much as they can and it is now time for him to return to his family. Funding for his nine-month placement will end in August and he will have to be moved even if suitable accommodation in Southampton has not been found.

Now Claire and husband Neil, 34, who works at Southampton International Airport, face a race against time to find a house big enough to cater for Chris' needs.

A keen rugby player until the car crash, Chris is 5ft 10in and uses a large wheelchair.

Once back home, he will need round-the-clock long-term care, including an overnight carer, as well as special ramps, lifts and other equipment.

City housing officials say there is already a shortage of four-bedroom homes and nothing is available.

Hyde Housing Association said: "Unfortunately, the family's current home was assessed by occupational therapists as not suitable for the adaptations required for Christopher, and their current landlords, Hyde Housing Association, do not have any stock that would be suitable for his needs.

A Southampton City Council spokeswoman added: "If anyone has a four-bedroom property that they are willing to exchange, please contact the city council and we will arrange to get in touch."