The desperate family of a dad who has been given less than three years to live say they are reaching breaking point in their battle for adequate social housing.

Former Aggreko engineer Stuart Morris received the devastating diagnosis of motor neurone disease (MND), a neurological condition which attacks the nerves in the brain and spinal cord, in July last year.

He, his wife Lorraine and daughters Kaci, 16, and Hayley, 14, say they are reaching breaking point in their search for a house with disabled access.

The family, who live in a rented house in Maitland Court, Helensburgh, say their accommodation is not fit for purpose and has robbed Stuart of his dignity.

He currently sleeps in the living room as his wheelchair cannot fit in the bedroom and Lorraine’s father has built a ramp to get his chair up and down the steps.

Lorraine told the Lennox Herald: “We have been on the housing list for about five years and it’s just been nothing.

“We have an advocacy worker from MND Scotland who has been looking on our behalf and has said the same. There is just nothing.

“We were told we were at the top of the crisis list and we took that to mean us as a family but what we found out was that it is actually along with a group of 40 others. We are all at the top of the crisis list.”

Stuart can no longer use the bath-shower in the family home, meaning Lorraine’s parents regularly pick him up and take him to their house.

Lorraine also suffers a series of health issues as a result of type 1 diabetes and eldest daughter Kaci lives with cystic fibrosis.

Lorraine said: “With myself and Kaci not being well I had to ask ‘how long?’ The doctor said around two-and-a-half years. We were totally devastated. I never thought anything like this would happen.

“Stuart said ‘Can I go back to work now’ and she just said ‘no’.

“Due to our medical needs we’ve been on the housing list but since Stuart’s diagnosis the need for a house has become desperate.

“It’s been a nightmare. Stuart is lucky if he sleeps one hour a night because he is thinking about it.

“We are living with this 24 hours a day. We should be out making memories together and instead we are dealing with this.

“I have to thank my mum and dad, who have been so supportive. My mum is a carer and comes down every day. It’s really hard on her and she should not be having to do this.”

Stuart was forced to leave his engineering job at Dumbarton’s Aggreko site in May 2017 and was diagnosed with MND in July.

Lorraine said: “He was used to getting up at 6am every morning and having a routine.”

Lorraine praised the work of MND Scotland, who she says provide an essential support service for families living affected.

“They are amazing,” she said.

Lorraine is seeking appropriate accommodation from anywhere between Garelochhead and Cardross to ensure her daughters can continue attending Hermitage Academy.

A spokesperson for Argyll Community Housing Association said: “The association has made one formal offer and one verbal offer to their representative for a three-bedroom ground floor flat in Helensburgh.

“They were refused on the grounds the properties were not within their areas of their choice. If the family were to widen their area of choice it would be easier for the association to assist them.

“The association is currently building 32 new homes in Helensburgh, of which four are disabled-adapted. The association will continue to work with the family concerned to try and meet their housing need.”

Lorraine insisted no offer of accommodation has been made to her, either in writing or verbally.

A spokesman for Argyll and Bute Council said: “We are fully aware of the family’s situation and are in discussions with registered social landlords in the area to try and find appropriate housing for the family, taking into account their needs.”

Stuart’s former Aggreko colleague Amy Stenhouse has launched a petition to help the family, which has so far gathered £1767 in donations.

Amy’s page can be found at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/stuart-morris-mnd.