A jobless mother-of-eight who receives £40,000-a-year in benefits has demanded a nine-bedroom house from the council because her 11-strong family cannot afford to rent.

Julie Howard, 37, who lives with her eight children and parents, Gwen and Martin Hughes, in their three-bedroom council house, is hoping to move into a larger home at the taxpayers' expense.

The unemployed mother and her partner Scott Howard claim they were forced to flee their previous three-bed council house in Malvern, Worcester, after they were attacked by travellers.

They are 'desperate' for something bigger as several family members have been forced to sleep on the living room floor and two children are on blow up beds in the same room as their grandparents.

Jobless mother Julie Howard, 37, (back row, third from left) has demanded a nine-bedroom house from the council because her 11-strong family cannot afford to rent

Ms Howard, who hasn't worked for more than 16 years, said: 'I'm sleeping on the living room floor with two of my kids - we need some more help.

'Scott has had to move out and live with his sister because he can't cope with the chaos.

'They've offered us a B+B and in February they offered us two separate houses for us to live in but that would separate the family so it's just not good enough - we need a room for everyone to sleep in.

'We are desperate for something bigger, this is no way to live. We've got kids sleeping on blow up beds in the same room as their grandparents.

The family receives £40,000-a-year in benefits, pictured (back row l-r) Martin Hughes, Ms Howard with Tegan, Lucca, Gwen with Alfie and (front row, l-r) Georgina, Maisie and Noah

The unemployed mother and her partner Scott Howard claim they were forced to flee their previous three-bed council house and move in with Ms Howard's parents (pictured)

'It would be lovely if each of my kids could have their own bedroom.

'It feels like we've been waiting for months and months. It's so frustrating.

'There just isn't room here and we've been bidding on houses and losing out each time. It doesn't seem like we're a priority at all.'

'The council have never acknowledged that Mum and Dad's house isn't big enough for 11 people but they're happy to dismiss houses we bid for are too small. It's infuriating.

'I just want to live with my boyfriend and bring the children together so we can look after them properly.'

Ms Howard has six children from a previous relationship - Olivia, 16, Lucas, 14, Georgina, 13, Noah, nine, Poppy, eight and three-year-old Maisie.

They moved into their grandparents' home last November along with the two children Ms Howard had with her current partner.

Tegan-Amelia and Alfie Mason sleep in the living room with their mother.

The family also brought two budgies, Harry and William, Amy the dog, and guinea pig Sparkle.

Ms Howard said she spends around £2,000 a year just looking after the pets.

Several family members have been forced to sleep on the living room floor and two children are on blow up beds in the same room as their grandparents

The family also brought two budgies, Harry and William, Amy the dog, and guinea pig Sparkle

She said: 'The guinea pig is living in a cupboard under the stairs. There's just not nearly enough room. I'd love to be able to rent privately but we just can't afford it with the money that we get.

'It costs a fortune to keep the kids in clothes, and I spend about'Amy our dog needed some blood tests recently, and that set me back nearly £300.

'We can't afford a car, so we have to rely on taxis. The kids have their little luxuries, but they have to share a PSP between them.

'We spent about £50 on each child when it's their birthday, and at Christmas, so money doesn't last long because there's so many of them.

'It sounds like we get a lot of money but it doesn't stretch very far. The last house the council gave us is empty but we can't go back there. It's been really hard.

The mother-of-eight is a full-time carer for eight-year-old Poppy, who suffers from Global Developmental delay

'Last November we had our window put through and since then we've been trying to find somewhere safe to live.

'We were told it was travellers and the council would investigate but we've never heard anything.'

Ms Howard worked as a part-time cleaner before falling pregnant with Olivia 16 years ago, when she was 21.

She went back to college and trained as a midwife in 2003, but never started work after falling pregnant again.

The mother-of-eight is a full-time carer for eight-year-old Poppy, who suffers from Global Developmental delay, meaning she develops at a slower rate to other children.

The family receives more than £500 a month in disability allowance for Poppy, along with a carer's allowance for Julie, child tax credits, child benefit for all the children.

They also receive income support Mr Howard who cannot work because he has a back injury after falling off a bridge.

Ms Howard's parents pay just £33 rent a year on their current home - and £9 a year council tax.

They receive an additional £10,000 a year in disability benefits due to them both suffering from arthritis and Martin suffering from kidney failure.

Mrs Hughes, 63, said: 'We've raised our three children so we didn't think we'd have to raise eight more!

'We love our family and its nice having the kids around but it's too much for us and there's nowhere near enough space.

'We only thought it was going to be for a short time but now there are so many mouths to feed, its total chaos.'

The couple have lived in the house for 40 years, moving in four years after they married to raise their own family.

In total, all 10 members of the family receive £40,324 a year in benefits.

Worcester City Council say the family is a priority but it simply does not have any available homes big enough to house the family.

A spokesman for Worcester City Council said: 'This family does qualify for the highest housing priority, but finding a big enough property is proving difficult as there are few available of the necessary size.'