Neighbours of Welfare Mum of 11: "It's A Disgrace. She Treats Her Womb Like A Clown Car."

 

 

Jobless mother of 11 to get six-bedroom eco-house after moaning her TWO council homes are cramped

*  Heather Frost, 36, lives in two houses which have been knocked together

*  Has seven children in one house, while the rest live with her in the other

*  Now Tewkesbury council has agreed to build her five-bed eco-home

*  TaxPayers' Alliance brands move a 'scandalous' use of public money

*  First fell pregnant at 14 to a 23-year-old boyfriend who ended up in prison

*  Furious neighbour: 'It's a disgrace. She treats her womb like a clown car'

By Simon Tomlinson

'Scandalous': Mother-of-11 Heather Frost (pictured) is having a six-bed 'mansion' built for her by the council because she can't cope in her current home. 

With six bedrooms, three bathrooms, a huge kitchen and the very latest in energy-saving eco-friendly design, it is a house that a great many of us would be very happy to buy and move into.

We’d probably be even happier – and perhaps a little humbled – if it was being specifically built for us and paid for by the taxpayer.

But not Heather Frost.

Far from simply being grateful for her good fortune, the jobless mother of 11 says that if she doesn’t like the house she’ll just tell the council to build her another one.

She is due to move into the property – valued at £400,000 – in July after ‘struggling’ to survive in two adjacent houses in Churchdown, Gloucestershire, which have been joined together by the council.

Her new home will slash water and energy bills with its modern design using natural, locally-sourced materials. Extra large windows will fill it with natural light.

But Miss Frost, 37, who is also a grandmother, said the move is still subject to her approving the two-storey accommodation with its 355sq ft kitchen and dining area.

Neighbours say Frost currently lives with 14 people: all her eleven children, two grandchildren and her partner Jake, who they claim is also unemployed.

‘It’s being built especially for me,’ she said. ‘If I go there and I say to them I don’t like it or it’s too small, then they will just have to build me a bigger one, won’t they?’

Miss Frost says living in her current accommodation has been a nightmare. A minibus and two battered cars were parked on the lawn of the house yesterday.

At the rear of the property the fence is falling down and two satellite dishes hang from the wall.

After years of complaining, the council arranged for the 1,850sq ft two-storey eco-home to be custom built for her as part of a housing development.

'Nightmare': The jobless 36-year-old currently lives in two houses (pictured) in Churchdown, near Gloucester which were knocked through five years ago to accommodate her massive brood.

Rubbish strewn: The back of the properties in Churchdown, Gloucester, where Heather Frost is living with 11 children. She is being given a 6 bedroom custom made council house in nearby Tewkesbury to accommodate her large brood.

Deal: Tewkesbury Borough Council bosses have sold a plot of land in Northway Lane, Tewkesbury, for around £210,000. In return, the housing provider is building the six-bed super-house along with 12 other homes.

Grand designs: The plans for the family's plush new eco-home which the council has agreed to build.

Miss Frost, who lives on benefits, says she has been waiting years for the council to offer suitable housing.

‘We got this three-bed house and they knocked a doorway through to the one next door. It was meant to be for four months but we’ve been here for five years now.

‘It is a nightmare because you can’t keep an eye on the children in the other house and there’s only one door between them which is a fire risk.’

She added: ‘The older children are living over there while I am with the younger ones in this house.’

Her neighbours say she currently lives with 14 people – all of her 11 children, two grandchildren and her unemployed partner Jake.

Spacious: The house comes with six bedrooms, two living rooms, a kitchen/ diner and two bathrooms.

Money-saver: The new house will boast an energy efficient design to help keep Heather's energy bills down

Controversial: Councillor Derek Davies said it was a 'great example' of how the council works with housing providers to ensure affordable housing is provided for all our residents' housing needs.

Miss Frost first became pregnant at the age of 14, to a man of 23 who ended up in jail. She is now sterile after having cervical cancer in 2011.

According to official records her children are: Sophie, 21, Toby, 19, Megan, 18, Angel, 16, Jay, 14, Chloe, 13, Paige, 12, Emily, ten, Bethany, nine, and Ruby, seven and Tilly, two.

She is grandmother to Sophie’s son Ashley, two.

Miss Frost, who says she is married, added: ‘Some other mums have called me a slag but I’d love to have more kids if I could.’

Tewkesbury Borough Council came up with a solution to housing her family after selling a plot of land in the town to Severn Vale Housing association for the knock-down price of £210,000.

The condition of the sale was that one of the 15 affordable homes they built on the site would be one for the Frosts.

'Womb like a clown car': Frost (pictured with one of her sons) first fell pregnant at just 14, to a 23-year-old boyfriend who ended up in prison, and has gone on to have ten more children

What a state: Frost's current home is blighted by a bashed-up minibus, two battered cars and a skip

Taxpayer groups describe the situation as a ‘scandal’.

A spokesman for the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: ‘Benefits are there to help those who need support, not subsidise a lifestyle that most people paying for them could not afford.’

Miss Frost may be less than impressed with her impending move, but some of her current neighbours can’t wait. One said of the family: ‘They’re hell. When they finally go, we’re having a street party.’

Tewkesbury councillor Derek Davies said: ‘This is a great example of how we work with housing providers to ensure affordable housing is provided for all our residents’ needs.’