A FAMILY of seven children are crying themselves to sleep at night in a cramped house after they lost their home in a fire.

The family has been offered toys, settees, furniture and bunk beds for the children to sleep on from well-wishers, But the family has refused an offer from Worcester City Council of temporary accommodation in a three-bedroom house in Ripon Road, Ronkswood for practical reasons.

Neville Parker, aged 42, and Gemma Robertson, aged 25, and their seven children are cramped into Miss Robertson's grandmother's two bedroom home in Gresham Road, Dines Green, after they lost everything when a fire tore through their home in nearby Drake Avenue, on Saturday.

They were not at home when the fire started and Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service are still investigating the cause.

Miss Robertson said: "We're under exceptional pressure living at my gran's house - she has angina. It's just getting on top of me. The council has offered us temporary accommodation in Ronkswood but my children go to Oldbury Park Primary School. It's too awkward for us to live there because of rush hour in the morning. We're still sleeping on mattresses. The children are very upset. They cry themselves to sleep at night. Even my gran is sleeping on a mattress."

Craig Geens, assets manager for Worcester Community Housing which manages the family's burnt-out home, said he was unable to give an estimate of the damage until details had been finalised with insurers and loss adjusters.

He said: "It was a very severe fire in which all of the windows were blown out. The stairs may need replacing and all of the upstairs bedrooms are smoke-damaged and the groundfloor and kitchen have been affected."

He has estimated that repairs to make the house habitable could take at least four months. Steel shutters are to be placed on the home to make it secure before repair work begins.