HIGH demand for council housing has left one pregnant single mother-of-one from Dursley worried that she will be unable to find somewhere to live close to home.

A “dire” shortage of housing coupled with “huge demand” has left Stroud District Council unable to easily house people.

Naomi Bertuca, 23, has been left unable to afford the rent of her current privately-rented home which has recently been increased, resulting in her requesting support from the council.

However Ms Bertuca is concerned that she could be moved away from her friends and family in Dursley if nowhere can be found.

“It’s a real worry for me being pregnant and looking after a two-year-old,” she said.

“The council has told me that there is a real shortage of housing and have said that I could be moved away from the support I have here in Dursley.”

She has been advised to continue to search for available private housing in the area but has found that many landlords do not accept housing benefit and those that do will often have very high demand.

“I have been trying to find houses which are privately rented but those that do come up on the market which accept housing benefit are snapped up really quickly,” she added.

“Even with the council they have not been able to guarantee that they will be able to find anywhere for me.

“There is such incredibly high demand for council houses and they need to make sure they have enough for the people who really need them.”

A spokesman for Stroud District Council said: “We are helping Miss Bertuca to find a new place. 

“In most similar cases we are able to find people a suitable home as they take priority on the housing list when they are forced to move out of their existing home. 

“If nothing is available we have advised her that we will arrange temporary accommodation as close to her home as possible, although this may not be in her immediate locality. 

“Unfortunately, there is a dire shortage of available affordable housing across the country and a huge demand, but we do everything we can to help people when they find themselves in a difficult situation such as this one.”