A family have been forced to move out of their home permanently - after builders knocked a wall down leaving them fear it could collapse.

Pete Arnesen struggled to breath and had a constant cough while living in the house in Swindon, Wilts.

During a damp investigation he says the social housing provider Stonewater ordered the removal of a key wall in the kitchen.

But Pete, 60, says he knew what the builders were doing "wasn't safe" and ''begged'' them not to remove the supporting wall."

Despite his fears it was removed leaving Pete so worried he was "scared that upstairs would fall down"."

After persistent complaints from Pete, he says a surveyor reassessed the property and said the house wasn't safe to live in.

Pete, who is disabled and lives with his Ukrainian refugee wife and daughter, says they were told to permanently leave the property.

They now remain without a permanent home as the house is set to be sold.

Officials say they are investigating and the home can no longer be rented.

Pete said: "I am now taking sleeping tablets everyday to try and sleep because I am not getting enough sleep. I just lay awake thinking and worrying."

"My family is homeless now because I asked for damp to be repaired - I feel terribly guilty."

"It is leaving us really vulnerable. We are really in a bad state. I am homeless. I have got nowhere to live."

"I am still paying my rent, gas, electric for a house I am not living in."

Pete who had lived in the house for over 30 years said it "always had damp a issue"."

He said: "Under the stairs it started getting really bad to the point I couldn't go in there."

"The smell was unbearable in the house. It started to affect my chest and it left me with a cough."

"The cough was constant. I couldn't speak for more than three minutes without coughing all the time."

He added that earlier this year builders started working in his house.

Pete says he "begged" the builder not to knock down a wall in the property."

"I told him it was dangerous. I was terrified to see they had smashed down the supporting wall."

"I said to housing that it was dangerous and I was in fear it would fall down."

Despite his requests the wall was removed and later Pete says he and his family were told to move out property as it was deemed "dangerous"."

The family was placed in an Airbnb in Royal Wootton Bassett after a Stonewater surveyor confirmed there were "issues that needed action"."

Pete said: "No work has been done on the house. They basically kicked me out of the house and didn't fix it. "

"They knocked the wall down for no good reason it just seems stupid for me."

Months later and Pete has been told that the property will be sold.

Pete said: "I don't have anywhere to stay after the 31st. "

''They won't do the Airbnb for a long period and they tell me they have got no housing stock available for me at all."

Pete said he is been to Wiltshire Council and registered as homeless.

He added that he is "devastated" he could not keep a promise to his Ukrainian refugee wife and daughter to "keep them safe"."

He said: "They came through a hard time. They got stuck in Bulgaria when they fled their country and they went from hotel to hotel. "

"Now I have to say to her 'my angel we married last December and now we are homeless.'"

"For her it is bringing back all the problems of the past, what happened to her running from her country because of the bombs and being the war and it is terrible for her. "

"All she says to me is 'I know you will take of me' but to be honest I can't take care of my family anymore, I am homeless."

Dave Lockerman, director of housing operations at Stonewater, said: "We are working closely with Mr Arnison and his family to secure a new permanent home in the Swindon area and we fully understand the distress this situation has caused."

"We want to be clear that Mr Arnison is not homeless. He remains a Stonewater customer, and we have, and will continue to, provide him with temporary accommodation and financial assistance throughout this process. "

"This includes paying for the temporary home, providing a weekly inconvenience payment and offering compensation. We will not leave the family without a suitable home."

"The safety of our customers is our highest priority. As Stonewater has not owned the property for the full duration of Mr Arnison's tenancy, when the damp issue was first reported, we instructed a contractor to carry out remediation works. "

"During this time, Mr Arnison raised several concerns about the work being carried out. We took these concerns seriously and a senior surveyor visited the property and identified a previously unknown structural issue with an RSJ. "

"As soon as this was confirmed, we acted quickly to ensure the family's safety, moving them into temporary "
accommodation and confirming that the home was no longer suitable for rent.

"We are actively working with Wiltshire Council and other housing providers to find Mr Arnison and his family a permanent home. A full review of this case is underway so we can learn from it and strengthen our processes for the future."