AN elderly couple with a severely disabled son have finally been offered a house suitable for their needs -- after a 14-year wait.

Ethel and Fred McKean first asked for a specially-adapted Bolton Council home to cope with their son Andrew's severe disabilities in 1988.

Today, their long wait appears to be at an end.

The family have been offered a new purpose-built bungalow on the estate which will be built on the ruins of Bolton's crime-plagued De Lacy Drive, which has been demolished.

As the tearful couple celebrated, Mrs McKean revealed: "The day we were told the news was the happiest of my life."

Andrew, aged 40, was born physically and mentally disabled and needs 24-hour care.

Mr and Mrs McKean could not agree on a series of homes offered to them by Bolton Council -- until they were shown plans for the new estate. The family, who currently live in Firwood Grove, Tonge Moor, need a tailored ground-floor flat with specific disabled access and double bedrooms.

And today, as the new estate is hailed as a fresh opportunity for residents in the area, the family are celebrating their own personal fresh start -- and the end of 14 years of house-hunting.

They could now move in by next spring.

Mrs McKean, aged 66, said: "We have been waiting for the past 14 years to find a house we feel is suitable for Andrew. We have been offered several places by Bolton Council but they were not right. But our new bungalow will be perfect." work to build 60 new houses, including 33 bungalows, is due to start later this month by Manchester-based Methodist Housing Association and private contractors Richardson Projects Ltd, of Rochdale.

The couple's daughter, Linda McKean, aged 36, from Tonge Moor, added: "My parents are over the moon. They have lived in the area for 30 years and did not want to move. I think my mother broke down in tears when she read the letter.

"It is brilliant news for them and great news for the new estate before it is even built."

A Bolton Council spokesman said: "We work in partnership with Manchester Methodist Housing Association and we are very pleased they have been able to offer Mr and Mrs McKean a property to suit their requirements, in the area that they wish to live.

"We try very hard to match tenants with suitable properties and the exact specification of property required in this instance within the location given to us, combined with low tenant turnover rates in a high demand area, provided some difficulty.

"The demolition of De Lacy Drive has enabled Manchester Methodist Housing Association to design and create a purpose-built home for the McKean family, providing them with their ideal property.

"We hope everything goes well for them in the future."