A seriously ill woman has vowed to fight a bid to evict her from the council house which has been her home for 20 years.

Joanna Hendricks, 27, lives in a two-bedroomed house on the Templars estate in Witham.

Her mother, the official tenant, died on July 25.Braintree District Council has refused to transfer the tenancy to Joanna.

They insist she should move out to make room for a family.

Joanna, Witham Carnival Queen in 1993, suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome (myalgic encephalitis), and is dreading the stress of the threatened eviction will worsen her condition.

She was initially told she had up to a year to move but was shocked to receive a letter from the housing department on Tuesday telling her a one-bedroomed flat was now ready for her.

''I wept when I read it. It seems very harsh to make me move from the house which has been my home for 20 years,'' said Joanna, who helps with the town carnival every year.

Braintree MP Alan Hurst pleaded with the council to treat Jo as a special case, but without success. She is now taking legal advice.

Council spokesman Chris Trim said: "Where a single person occupies a larger property, it is usual to try to make it available to people on the waiting list or to families which have outgrown a smaller property.

"We are well aware how upsetting it is to move after living in the same house for many years."

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Published Friday October 18, 2002