A single mother with a one-year-old baby has described being “screamed” at after saying she didn’t want to travel 250 miles to live in County Durham.

Demi Longworth, 23, spoke exclusively to The Northern Echo about her experiences with Hillingdon Council telling her she had to move to Horden or get kicked out of her emergency accommodation.

She explained that now she has been “screamed” and “shouted” at when she asked her housing officer to send over the council requests to fill in forms in writing.

The 23-year-old says that the following day she was contacted by the landlord of her emergency housing and told that her accommodation was being cancelled by Hillingdon council.

The Northern Echo has seen the text message from her landlord informing her that Hillingdon council had cancelled her stay at the property.

Her present situation is unclear but it is understood that this week she has been having conversations with the council to try to find a way forward.

The council say that it has been “actively engaging with this resident” and that it will continue to support Demi until a suitable ongoing offer of accommodation is found if she continues to refuse to move to Horden.

(Image: GOOGLE MAPS) This comes after The Northern Echo revealed that large numbers of vulnerable people and refugees are being moved up to the North by southern councils into unsuitable accommodation due to a lack of social housing.

Grahame Morris, Labour MP for Horden, described the case as “deeply troubling” and that the council had shown “blatant disregard” for a vulnerable family.

Cllr James Rowlandson, a Durham County Council cabinet member, has stated that it is “not right” to move anyone more than 250 miles from their family and support network.

The mother and baby were evicted from their home last week and moved into emergency accommodation.

Just days after finally finding stability she received a call from a housing officer saying they had found her a home hundreds of miles away from the place she was born and raised.

The 23-year-old has now described how the situation has escalated with her officer from Hillingdon Council getting increasingly angry and shouting at her to sign different forms.

Ms Longworth said: “I had been waiting for a call from my housing officer all weekend.

“I got the call and I was so scared to answer it.

“She (her housing officer) asked me to fill out the forms I was given as a matter of urgency.

“I then asked her if it was possible to get all the things she was asking of me put in black and white.

“That was when she started screaming and shouting ‘I will close your case’.

“She kept saying ‘You need to fill these forms’.”

The mother says that she then filled in the necessary forms but didn’t hear anything more from her housing officer.

(Image: PIXABAY) On Tuesday she received a message from the landlord of her emergency housing saying that the accommodation was being cancelled by Hillingdon council.

She said: “I’m not okay at all. I have just been on to the council on hold.

“My officer is ignoring me. They never contacted me to tell me the placement was being cancelled.

“After she called me and threatened to close the case I filled out the forms and send them to her.

“She had no reason to cancel my accommodation."

Hillingdon Council said: “The council cannot comment on the details of individual cases.

“Our housing team works with households at risk of homelessness to find suitable and affordable alternative accommodation.

“Part of the process requires households to work with the team to complete an assessment and provide any necessary documentation, and the team can provide support if they are eligible.

“In this instance, the team has been actively engaging with this resident and we will continue to support them until a suitable ongoing offer of accommodation is sourced, should they choose to refuse this one.”

(Image: London Portrait Photoqrapher-DAVID WOOLFALL)Mr Morris said: "This is a deeply troubling case. There is a fundamental failure when a Council compels a mother and child to choose between homelessness or being sent over 200 miles away, cut off from the community they have known their entire lives.

The actions of these councils are reprehensible and show a blatant disregard for the safety and welfare of vulnerable families.

“While councils may discharge homelessness duties out of area, doing so in a way that isolates people hundreds of miles from their support networks is unacceptable and leaves them without a realistic route back home.”

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Cllr Rowlandson, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for resources, investment and assets, previously said: “We are aware of Ms Longworth's situation and have contacted Hillingdon Council and are awaiting a response.

“We agree that it is not right to move anyone, especially a mother with a young child, more than 250 miles away from their family and support network. 

“If Ms Longworth is relocated to County Durham, we will look to offer her every support she and her son needs, as we do in every case.”