A FAMILY turned to the BEN for help after claiming Bolton Council had failed to clear piles of rubble so their disabled daughter could use the garden.

Zoe Bannister, 11, was confined to a wheelchair following a road accident two years ago. But since she moved into her council house home on Green Way, Hall i'th' Wood seven months ago her mother Wendy Hartigan and grandmother Mavis Hartigan have been striving to clear up the back garden for her to enjoy.

They claim the council has failed to act on their requests for the rubble - left when the council demolished an old coal bunker - to be moved.

Mrs Hartigan said: "None of us have the equipment or the strength to get rid of all this. We can't get the mess levelled so Zoe can go out there with the wheelchair and make use of the garden." The family is being backed by Hall i'th' Wood Residents' Association chairman Rita Lilley.

Mrs Lilley said: "We're supposed to be encouraging people to look after their gardens and properties and take pride in them, but this family are stuck now and just need a simple helping hand."

The house had a downstairs extension and a wheelchair ramp built for Zoe by the council. Mrs Hartigan said: "We're genuinely grateful for that. We just need a bit of help now and then we'll do something with the garden."

After the BEN alerted the estate office to the problem officials agreed to send workmen round to clear the mess. A spokesman apologised for the delay.

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