CHIPPENHAM NEWS: A YOUNG mum fears she could be forced to return to a caravan which does not have a toilet or running water unless she can find a new home in north Wiltshire.

Police stepped in to help Katherine Applegate and her two-year-old daughter Courtney because officers were so disgusted with the conditions they had been forced to live in.

Mouldy walls and a broken window greeted the 19-year-old every time she returned to the caravan, which is parked by the A350 in Chippenham.

Officers intervened on Saturday after someone spotted a distressed Miss Applegate carrying her daughter along the busy road.

Social services has found the pair temporary accommodation at a bed and breakfast in Trowbridge, but would like to move back to north Wiltshire to be closer to their family in Neeld Crescent.

Miss Applegate said: "Living in the caravan was one of the lowest points in my life and not a nice place to bring up a child."

The teenage mum moved to Wiltshire from Weston-super-Mare six weeks ago, claiming she had been thrown out of her live-in job at a pub.

She declared herself homeless to North Wiltshire District Council but was told she would need a letter from her previous employer confirming her position.

She said: "I had fallen out with people at the pub so had no choice but to buy the caravan it cost £100.

"After the police came round they took me to the station where I waited for social services to come. They took me to the bed and breakfast in Trowbridge but I desperately want to move back to north Wiltshire.

"I have been in touch with housing associations but they say there are no houses available. I have been on a waiting list since September last year and I have contacted social services, the Citizens' Advice Bureau and the Trowbridge MP for help.

"I'm aware of at least two houses which are available in Chippenham but I'm not getting anywhere. I feel let down by the system."

A spokesman for Chippenham police said officers were concerned for the welfare of the mother and daughter when they saw them last weekend.

"She seemed to have nothing but the clothes she stood up in," she said.

Jo Smith, pre tenancy service manager at Westlea Housing Association, said: "We are working with the district council to offer housing to those registered as homeless, including Miss Applegate. But the demand far exceeds what we can quickly supply there are currently 36 cases awaiting two-bedroom properties in Chippenham.

"But it's very important that those on the housing waiting list keep us informed of any change in their status, or if they move to a different address, so that they do not miss new offers of accommodation. Unfort-unately it seems that this has been a factor in this particular case."