A POOL is far from a luxury asset for a council tenant who says it has driven him out of his home.

Stephen Mongan was horrified when what he thought was a leaking fridge turned out to be a pool of water nearly a foot deep beneath his kitchen floorboards.

The smelly liquid has been seeping up through his floor for a month and so far council workmen have failed to locate the source of the problem.

Mr Mongan, aged 55, who has lived alone in the Bradford Crescent, Great Lever, ground floor flat for four years, says the stench is now so bad that he has had to move in temporarily with a neighbour.

And he claims the council is not taking the problem seriously enough.

Mr Mongan, who suffers from breathing problems and arthritis, first discovered the water problem last month and had to strip damp tiles off his kitchen floor.

"Then a pool of water appeared and I thought it was the fridge leaking," he said.

When council workmen were called in and lifted the floorboards they found several inches of water underneath and pumped it out but the flood came back.

And the smell was beginning to deter people from calling on Mr Mongan.

"Visitors would only stay a few minutes then disappear," he said.

"When you open the front door the smell just hits you straight away."

The problem got so bad that a fortnight ago neighbour Eunice Kay offered him the use of her spare bedroom and he has got the backing of the Crescent Road Action Group. But Mr Mongan says the council is not doing enough to help get him back into his own home.

A spokesman for Bolton Council said the problem is not being ignored.

He said a full damp assessment is due to be carried out this week. "Our workmen have investigated this very thoroughly and the water under the kitchen floor is fresh water," he said.

"As part of the initial work we have already drained the water off once and carried out a dye test which showed that the drains are not leaking."