'I cared for my ill mum for years - now she's died and I'm being turfed out of my home of 50 years'

After his siblings moved out and Neville's dad died, he was left alone with his mum Doreen.

For the last three years, the 53-year-old was his mother's full-time carer as she slipped into poor health, before she sadly died in June at the age of 83.

But as he was coming to terms with her loss, Neville was told by housing association Housing Plus that he had to vacate the property as he was no longer a carer and it was too big for him.

He told the Shropshire Star: “My mum was a lovely lady, very kind, and put up with a lot of pain the last years but we always managed to smile about something and enjoy the local countryside.

“For the last three years I was her full-time carer. But she passed away earlier this year, after years of heart kidney and liver problems.

“Housing Plus have now asked me to leave because it is a three-bedroom house and I am not a carer any more. They said I could stay only in 'special circumstances' but they don't consider my situation as a 'special circumstance' – I have lived here all my life.

“As a full-time carer you can't get a full-time job or a mortgage or save much money so to be asked to leave a house after nearly 50 years is uncaring and cold.

“They said I had to empty the house, so I had to take all of my mum's things and throw them in the tip.

"They have allowed me to stay temporarily in the house but I have to go soon. I'm paying full rent - I'm on benefits so can't even afford the heating.

"I asked the council for help and they said they would try to help me find a house but because I'm not disabled they they said it was unlikely they would be able to find me one.

“I spent over 10 years with my mum helping her, especially at night because she was always breathless because of her heart problem. I helped calm her down and gave her oxygen.

"I was told people like me save the NHS millions - but now I'm coldly being told to leave.

"I guess carers are not appreciated as much in Shrewsbury.

“I hope for myself and other carers out there rules can be put in place with the council and the Jobcentre to help carers readjust to life afterwards instead of being told you're not a carer anymore and then are made homeless.”

Les Clarke, Executive Director of housing and care at Housing Plus Group, said: “I am sorry to hear about this situation which I understand is very upsetting for our customer.

“We are supporting and helping him to find a suitable home and he is remaining in the current property whilst this process takes place.

“We always work to support our customers in these circumstances and do our best to find suitable alternative accommodation for them. However, it is important that we use our housing stock as efficiently as we can.

"There is huge demand for larger properties in this area and we have many people on our waiting list including people living in temporary accommodation.”