A SOUTHAMPTON family claims they have had to endure a year and a half of misery after they were placed on the 22nd floor of a Southampton tower block.

Southampton City Council housed Julie Corbett, 43, and her family on the 22nd floor of Canberra Towers in Weston despite her severe arthritis of the back and legs, which prevents her from using the stairs.

Regular lift faults have meant she has had to endure the agonising prospect of climbing the stairs and she dreads to think what would happen if there was a fire in the block.

The family claims they only agreed to take the flat as a temporary measure while more suitable ground floor accommodation was found.

That was a year-and-a-half ago but now there could be light at the end of the tunnel after the council revealed they now have a suitable property.

Mrs Corbett's husband Peter, 35, said: "I'm getting increasingly frustrated with Southampton City Council. We were promised more suitable accommodation but it has just not happened.

"I regularly have to walk down 44 flights of stairs because the lift sometimes does not even come up to our floor and my wife is stuck up there. If there was a fire in the building she would be in trouble.

"We were led to believe we would move almost overnight. We have found hypodermic needles on the ground outside the block and I told the council about it and they said 'what do you expect us to do?'

"One letter of complaint I sent to the council took three months to get through their internal mail system before I got a reply.

The Corbetts lost their family home in October 2001 when Mr Corbett, who ran his own cleaning business, suffered a breakdown and had insurance problems, which forced them to sell up.

A council spokesman admitted there have been problems in the past with the lifts at Canberra Towers but said there has always been one of the two lifts available for use and the family accepted the property knowing it was on the 22nd floor.

She said: "We are aware of the family's health problems and their application to move was given an urgent priority.

"Due to the limited numbers of homes that become vacant each year a suitable property has not become available until recently.

"We are pleased to offer the family a new home, which will be ready to view of June 9."