A gravely ill woman fears having to go back to an unsuitable house as she is considered low priority for rehousing.

Helena Reynolds, 54, has spent three weeks in the intestinal failure unit of St Mark's Hospital, Harrow, and faces being fed overnight by drip for the rest of her life.

When she is discharged from hospital, she is scared her treatment will be disrupted because her home, in the Causeway, Heybridge, is not adequate for her medical needs.

But despite this, she has been given few assurances over Maldon District Council's waiting list.