A mother being put up in a hotel at the taxpayers' expense is demanding a bigger place to live and the right to claim benefits.

Shanique Vickerman, 26, and her four-year-old son Tafari Bromfield have been staying at a Travelodge for the last 20 weeks, with all her food bills met.

Taxpayers are footing the bill for her to stay in the room at the branch in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, at a cost of £400 a week.

Shanique Vickerman and her 4-year-old son Tafari Bromfield pictured outside the Travelodge in Staffordshire - where they have been living for five months

Shanique says living in the hotel - which has cost £8,500 so far - makes it difficult for her to find a job and says she wants to move to more suitable accommodation.

She also claims there is not enough room for her son to play because her belongings have filled up the room.

UK-born Shanique, who was raised in Jamaica, was granted the legal right to stay in the country this year, but is not entitled to state help or social housing.

She appealed that decision in late January but in the meantime Staffordshire County Council is paying for her to stay in the Travelodge while her application is considered.

A spokesman said Shanique and Tafari, who was born in Britain, are being put up the hotel as the council has 'a legal responsibility to support every child in need, which in this case also includes supporting the mother who has no current access to public funds'.

Shanique said: 'No matter how many times I have explained, they are not listening. I feel as a mother that I am not able to take care of my child properly here.

'I have asked my social worker if we can be moved but the council seems to be ignoring me. I have had panic attacks about it because I don't know what else to do. I am always crying.

'I have thought about packing my bags and leaving but then they will say I have made myself intentionally homeless.

'Tafari has withdrawn from the outside world, is stressed, and not eating properly. He is constantly getting ill, due to the lack of nutritious meals.

'Because I have no cooking facilities, I rely on McDonald's and convenience foods, which I keep on the windowsill because I don't have a fridge.

'I also have to wash my dishes in the bathroom sink which is not hygienic. Being in this box has made me feel insular. I am having to tell Tafari different stories about why we are here.

'We just want our own, proper space.'

Shanique's accommodation and breakfast at the hotel costs around £50-a-night and she also receives £72-a-week for food and essentials

Her accommodation and breakfast at the hotel costs around £50-a-night and she also receives £72-a-week for food and essentials.

If she was allowed to receive benefits the cost to the taxpayer would be around £250-a-week.

Shanique returned to the UK in 2009 and again in 2013 but she was forced to flee from Essex because of an abusive relationship.

She then went to Elizabeth Centre last October - a safe house for domestic abuse victims in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Staffordshire County Council placed her in the town's Holiday Inn for a week, before she was moved to the Travelodge, where she has remained for the last five months.

Conservative councillor Mike Lawrence, cabinet member for children and community safety who represents the South Staffordshire division, said: 'We have a legal responsibility to support every child in need, which in this case also includes supporting the mother who has no current access to public funds.

'We have been working with the Home Office to try and speed up the processing of this case, and in the meantime have been funding accommodation to ensure the safety of the family.

'These types of cases are very challenging for the county council.

'Nevertheless we have a legal duty to protect children in need and have to do everything we can to ensure they are safeguarded.'

Labour MP for Newcastle Paul Farrelly said: 'As a constituent in Newcastle, Shanique has approached me for help regarding her situation and that of her four-year-old son, who is British.