THE family threatened with eviction after not receiving any housing benefits payments for the last six months has been granted a reprieve thanks to the Daily Echo.

As revealed in the Daily Echo last Wednesday, Lee Annell, his six-months-pregnant wife Jamie and their three children had received a letter from Southampton City Council threatening to evict them unless they paid the £1,800 rent owed for their council flat.

After we wrote that the housing benefit money used to pay their rent had not been paid since the couple reapplied for benefit six months ago, the housing benefits office has processed their claim and decided that they are entitled to it.

Mr Annell, 25, said: "It's thanks to the Daily Echo really. But I know we are not the only ones affected by this. It's smashing news."

The couple had been receiving benefits for the last two years because Lee is unable to work due to a nervous condition.

Their benefit delay was almost double the 16 weeks that thousands of people had been experiencing when we first broke the story in April.

A council spokesman said: "It has been decided that they are entitled to housing benefit.

"They will not be evicted and will be receiving a back payment."

Last week the council announced it had launched a massive drive to clear the city's housing benefits backlog by employing 16 agency staff.