February 8, 2001 17:06: A YOUNG mum was forced to move her baby out of the family home after the council failed to fix her central heating.

Gemma Rooney, 18, of Highwood Crescent, High Wycombe, who has an eight month-old baby daughter Naomi, claims she has been without heating since she moved into the house with her boyfriend on December 11.

She had to ask her mother to take Naomi and look after her until the heating was fixed.

Miss Rooney said: "We have had to have a heater in the room, and I think that is affecting her breathing. I have been so concerned for my baby as she has just not been breathing properly.

"She has a sore throat and I have had to get my mother to pick her up and take her to her house in Oxford. It is not fair on my boyfriend either because he works outside all day and is constantly cold. He finds it really hard to get out of bed in the morning because it is so freezing."

She added: "I have been trying to sort out this problem for ages but nothing seems to be done about it. It is absolutely awful."

A spokesman for Wycombe District Council said that the relevant parts needed to fix the boiler had not been available.

She added: "A new boiler part was fitted on Monday. The relevant part had not been available. We are sorry for the inconvenience."