A mother claims her terminally ill daughter's life was put in danger because she could not get an answer from a council's emergency helpline.

Ruth Heard and daughter Belinda Dalton were locked out of their home after one of their puppies shut the front door, locking them out.

Belinda, 14, suffers from Cockayne's Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder which means she is only the size of a three-year-old.

She also needs to take drugs which keep her alive and prevent her from having epileptic fits.

Mum Ruth, 37, knew she had to act quickly to get back into the house in Buttercup Walk, Hollingbury, Brighton.

Because caring for Belinda is a full time job she cannot work and relies entirely on benefits to support them.

Ruth said: "I needed permission from social services to get a locksmith to open the door as the call-out charge alone is £90.

"When I rang the council's emergency social services number from a phone box, I was told it was the wrong one.

"They said they were an agency which used to take emergency calls but they no longer did so because the council had terminated its contract."

Ruth was forced to take Belinda to Brighton's John Street police station to ask for help.

By that time her daughter's latest round of medicines was several hours overdue and she was concerned Belinda could suffer an epileptic fit.

She said:"Her condition is terminal and she has already lived two years longer than her specialists predicted. The side effects of a fit could prove fatal.

"I think it is disgusting that the council did not have emergency social services cover for vulnerable people like Belinda.

"They put her life at risk and who knows what might have happened if someone had been trying to report a child abuse case."

Ruth praised police officers who took them into an interview room and made them comfortable while they tried to help.

Officers spent more than an hour trying to contact social services in Brighton and London.

Ruth said: "The police were fantastic and could not have been more helpful and understanding.

"In the end, they used a ram to break the front door open so that we could get back into the house."

A Sussex Police spokesman said: "I can confirm that staff at John Street helped this lady and her daughter.

"We would normally do everything we can to help in these circumstances and forcing an entry to the property would only be used as a last resort."

Nobody from Brighton and Hove City Council was available for comment over the bank holiday weekend.