A family faced months of misery when they were left living out of cardboard boxes after being promised a new council home.

The Mack family say that since Christmas they had been trying to move out of their property in Queensway, Brighton, after a Mears maintenance inspection said it was unfit for habitation due to health and safety reasons.

The family said every move date was delayed and it was only yesterday, after The Argus had contacted the city council, that the family moved into a new property temporarily in Portslade.

As a result, the family told how they had been left living week by week with no definite answer as to when they would be able to move into their new home.

Father Ben Mack said: “It had been months of false hope and false promises.”

Mr Mack lives with his wife Marianne, and their children, Courtney, 11, Lelane, 4, and Adele, 2.

They told how they had received a letter from their family doctor saying that staying in the property was having an ill effect on their health.

The family said they were initially promised a permanent new home – but this was then changed to temporary accommodation in Portslade with a move in date of February 26 before it was cancelled.

The new date of March 6 was also cancelled and the family was left waiting. 

It was only yesterday the family was finally moved into the property.

But the family say the Portslade property also has its own problems because it they say it is too far from their daughter’s school at Brighton Aldridge Community Academy.

Mr Mack said: “Already she has to leave at 7am, to get from Portslade she would be having to leave around 5.30am.”

When contacted by The Argus, a council spokesman, said: “Our target date for work to start and for the move to temporary accommodation was February 26.

“Unfortunately this has been delayed until March 6 as work needs to be done to their temporary accommodation before they move in. We have apologised to Mr Mack for this delay.

“The family have accepted our offer to pay for the extra home to school travel costs triggered by the temporary move.”