A FAMILY who were served an eviction notice just before Christmas claim their landlord has left them living in a real-life Fawlty Towers.o

Father-of-two Steve Morris has bitterly criticised his landlord after he failed to clean up the property the family rent, instead telling them to move out.

The family received a letter the week before Christmas Day giving them notice to leave their home, in Northern Woods, Flackwell Heath.

But the letter came after Mr Morris and his wife, Tracy, contacted environmental services at Wycombe District Council who visited the house and deemed it "unfit for human habitation." Damp walls, defective electrics and rotten windows, prompted environmental services to give the landlord a deadline of December 4 to carry out the work.

And Mrs Morris said the work has still not been done, and the damp is affecting her 16-month-old child who has already has breathing problems.

She said: "It really is like living in Fawlty Towers. It's disgusting. We decorated when we moved in but the paint just fell of the walls and the plaster has come away. The electrics are dodgy and we have had to go without hot water over Christmas because the immersion heater broke. It's a living nightmare."

Mr Morris said the electrics have caused a number of electrical appliances to fuse including three coffee filter machines, two kettles and two vacuum cleaners. Landlord Philip Smith said that he has had work carried out in the past but has been advised by the district council that the family must move out temporarily while the work is carried out because of the risk to health.

He said: "I don't know what else I can do. I cannot carry out the work if they will not move out. I have offered them other accommodation and they have refused it so what am I supposed to do?"

A spokesman for the district council confirmed it had classified the property as 'unfit for human habitation' and served a notice in July for the landlord to carry out repairs.