A FAMILY living in a hotel after the ceiling of their home collapsed at Christmas are desperate to return for the sake of their children.

Paul and Sally Greenwood, and sons Saul, 14; Arthur, ten, and five-year-old Polly, who has Down Syndrome, fled their semi-detached house in Denholme on December 18 after a damp problem caused the landing ceiling to crash down.

Home Group, which owns the property in Longhouse Drive, gave the Greenwoods the option of two family rooms at the Premier Inn, Halifax, plus £20 per head a day in credit at the nearby Beefeater restaurant.

The Greenwoods happily moved into the hotel as no suitable temporary homes were available to rent in Denholme.

But now they are eager to get back, particularly as Mrs Greenwood, 37, has to make two bus trips a day to take and collect her youngest children from their primary school.

"We moved into the hotel nearly two months ago and while we're not complaining about that, it's become difficult living there full time, particularly for the boys who want to get back to their mates," said Mr Greenwood, 45.

It was only yesterday morning that scaffolders arrived at the Greenwood's address.

Yesterday, Home Group customer service manager Bhavna Patel said: "Mr and Mrs Greenwood’s home suffered a leak which meant we had to move them into temporary accommodation.

"We offered them a number of alternatives and they selected a hotel in Halifax which Home Group is paying for and providing a meal allowance of £20 per person per night.

"We also offered a family home which was refused and we’ve said that if Mr and Mrs Greenwood can find a privately rented home in Denholme we’ll do all we can to help them secure it. Mr and Mrs Greenwood have not responded to this offer.

"The damage to their home is more extensive than initially thought and goes beyond simply re-plastering their ceilings.

"Due to recent storms battering the UK we’ve been unable to erect scaffolding, but weather permitting we’ll complete that today and work on re-roofing will start next week.

"We’ll continue to liaise with Mr and Mrs Greenwood on the extent of work needed and when they can return home."

Mr and Mrs Greenwood said they had tried find an alternative house in Denholme, but nothing had been available, and were delighted that work was now starting.