A DYING cancer patient has been forced to leave his council home because he cannot manage its two flights of stairs.

Michael Edge's family is facing a "desperate" race against time to find a new home with a ground floor bathroom after being told he has just weeks to live.

The father-of-six, who was diagnosed with bowel cancer in January, had to move out of his Worcester maisonette two months ago.

The two-floor home in Gresham Road, Dines Green, is above a shop, with another flight of stairs to the bedroom and bathroom.

The family have pleaded with Worcester City Council "countless times" to find them a new home.

Meanwhile, Mr Edge is living at his sister-in-law's home in Malvern.

"It all comes down to points - we have 60 and we need 150," said his wife, 33-year-old Carole, who is splitting her time between looking after her husband and children Anthony, aged 11 and Sarah, 10.

"I don't know how on earth I'm going to manage when the children go back to school. At a time like this points shouldn't come into it."

Former coach driver Mr Edge was still mobile when the family took the maisonette, but he can no longer walk unaided.

He is able to live in Malvern because the three-bedroomed house has a stairlift. But the family is due to return from holiday soon, making living conditions extremely crowded.

"There are already four people living here, including my disabled mum," said Mrs Edge. "Michael wants to be at home with his family around him. I don't think the council realises how bad he has got."

Mr Edge, aged 57, says he is not angry but "desperate to find a new house as soon as possible".

Worcester's housing manager Iain Harkess said: "It's down to the lack of that sort of vacancy in the areas of the city he wants. There are people with a higher priority for housing."

Mr Harkess added that any application to swap accommodation with the Edges would be looked at "positively".