A MOTHER-OF-THREE has been sleeping in a car after being evicted from her council house.

Karen Grundy, aged 31, has been sleeping in her Toyota Carina since last Thursday when she and her three children, aged 12, eight and five, were asked to leave their Coronation Avenue home on the Hag Fold estate at Atherton.

An eviction order was made during a hearing at Leigh County Court last Wednesday, due to rent arrears believed to total £1,500.

The family was given until 11am the following day to leave. Since then the children have been staying with their grandmother, Christine Dickenson, in a two-bedroomed house in Hindsford. But due to lack of space Karen has been sleeping in her car.

Karen, who works as a packer at Simply Fresh Foods, in Boothstown, said: "We were given less than 24 hours to get out. I offered to pay the money so we could stay, but they wouldn't let me. I don't know what we will do now. Our belongings are here, there and everywhere at the moment."

A spokesman for Wigan and Leigh Housing said: "This case was before the County Court in April last year and the individual was given a warning that if she didn't pay the arrears there would be trouble. She continually failed to do so and was given a second notice of eviction in December.

"While we take no pleasure in evicting people, we were given no choice."

GIVEN WARNING: Karen Grundy in her car