A FAMILY of six who waited nearly 10 years for a council house have finally been given a home.

Charmaine Harris, 34, and partner Brian Seward, 48, moved into their new house in Leiden Road, Wood Farm, yesterday with their four children Richie, seven, four-year-old Poppy and five-month-old twin girls Mia and Ava.

They had been living in a tower block in Blackbird Leys and yesterday said the move was a dream come true.

Ms Harris said: “I can’t quite believe it. This is absolutely amazing for the whole family. I feel very lucky that we have been given this brand new house which will be full of love for our four children to grow up in.

“We had been living in a tower block and this is a complete change. We have three bedrooms, brand new central heating, hot water and a garden for the kids to play in.”

Ms Harris's twins were born prematurely and both have heart conditions, requiring close monitoring throughout their early lives.

She added: “For us this will be a new start. The girls have been through a lot and we are so proud of them. They are both little miracles.

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“Being in the tower block was difficult at times because the heating wasn’t great, the lift sometimes broke down and my son’s asthma condition was affected.

“Because of the damp and the condensation in the flat every time he got a cold, it turned into a chest infection so this new home will be much healthier for him.

“It’s so surreal. I’m a bit overwhelmed. I got the keys for the house the same day Ava was transferred from Southampton General to the John Radcliffe Hospital, so it’s great as we are now near it.”

Ms Harris thanked all the staff involved at Southampton General Hospital for their help, but was also grateful for all the support from her family through everything.

She added: “We have been waiting for a long time but it’s worth it now and this is the next step for us to make this a family home.”

The new terraced homes are designed to be energy efficient and have solar panels as well as gas central heating.

Scott Seamons, Oxford City Council cabinet member for housing and estate regeneration, said he was delighted to see the new homes handed over.

Peter Doherty, director of Bouygues, which built them as part of a £17m programme to provide 113 social houses, added: “These three homes are the first of 100 houses we will be delivering over the next few months on behalf of Oxford City Council, supporting its mission to increase the amount of affordable housing.”

As reported in the Oxford Mail, a total of 485 council homes will be built in the city over the next 10 years to help ease its housing crisis.

No affordable homes were built in the city in the 2013/14 financial year.