A married couple who were left to sleep rough have a roof over their heads again after a flood of donations from generous locals helped them following a council blunder.

The couple stayed the night in a tent with just bushes separating them from busy Bury road, Peel Way, after being denied emergency assistance following a council admin error.

The pair were not considered a priority for emergency assistance due to miscommunication between Blackpool Council, where the couple came from, to Bury Council.

One half of the couple, a man, is registered as disabled and his wife works as his full-time career.

After going to Bury Town Hall with his relevant documentation, he was told he did not not have the proof need to be given emergency housing despite already being on disability allowance and on a mobility scooter.

The pair, who do not want to be named, then had to back to their tent and spend the night sleeping rough.

After hearing aboout their plight, Bury Homeless Project (BHP) stepped in.

A spokesperson said: “To be told there’s no available accommodation for a disabled client and their partner is just not acceptable.

“BHP intervened and discussed the case with the emergency housing officer who was very helpful, but did explain they cannot overrule decisions made during the day which begs the question, what can out-of-hours assist with?”

“We need to speak to the Bury housing team to establish the reasons following the decision….but again, these clients are left to rough sleep."

After sharing their story on Facebook, BHP appealed for donations to help the couple afford a hotel for the night.

After more than 100 interactions were made on the social media platform, enough money was raised for the couple to stay four nights in a hotel.

In a message to BHP, the couple expressed their gratitude as they settled down for the night.

A text message to the charity reads: “Thank you. Just had the best bath ever…thank you again and we are ready for bed now.”

Having been forced to sleep rough and to leaver just outside their tent, the couple shared a photo of the scooter now inside their room as they settled down.

Since their hotel stay and further talks with the council, the couple have now been accomodated. 

On Tuesday, a BHP spokesperson added: "We are delighted to advise the homeless couple we have been supporting are now in accommodation.

"They are truly grateful for the kindness and generosity of those who donated to keep them off the streets for five nights."

In response to the situation, a spokesperson from the council said: "While we are unable to go into the details of this case, our homelessness service is always here to offer advice and support to those claiming homelessness in accordance with the legislation.

"We will be happy to speak to this couple further about their circumstances.”