A homeless mother who has been living with her baby in an outhouse without heating for almost six months says she is heartbroken at not being allowed to give her daughter the start in life she deserves.

Karlene Anderson, 30, is "desperate" to get a proper roof over her head after a year of hell saw her evicted from her flat and split-up with her partner, five months before she gave birth to baby Lei-Lani (four-months-old).

And since November, she has been staying in the brick outhouse in her mother’s garden in Micklefield, with Wycombe District Council reportedly saying she is no longer eligible for housing support.

After becoming homeless last summer she stayed on a friend’s sofa in Essex for over two months before moving back home, but this resulted in her losing her "local connection" with Wycombe and her place on the housing register.

Ms Anderson said: "I was devastated when I was told that there weren’t many options for me, I’m just trying to do all I can for my daughter.

"I have good days, and I have bad days when I just want to breakdown and cry and I suffer from depression as well.

"But, for my daughter I’m trying to stay as positive as possible.

"When she’s asleep I have my little breakdowns, and when she’s awake I put a big brave face on and play, so she doesn’t know any different - but my day-to-day life is depressing.

"I’ve always had my own properties and I feel now that I’m a mother and I need a place, I can’t get one and I feel guilty.

"We have tried to make it [the outhouse] as warm and as comfortable as possible.

"We managed to paint it, put some carpet down and a blow-up bed in there which we both sleep in. There’s no proper heating, I have got an oil heater, but that’s it."

Ms Anderson became homeless after being unable to afford a rental increase on her flat around the same time the relationship with her partner ended.

In a bid to keep off the streets, she briefly lived in Essex, but after returning to Wycombe in November she was informed by WDC that she was no longer eligible to be on the housing register.

Having suffered depression from a young age, her past demons resurfaced as she struggled to find a permanent home and at one point feared she had miscarried.

Despite not being allowed to bid on a home through the Bucks Home Choice scheme, she is trying to remain upbeat for her daughter and hopes to work alongside the council.

Ms Anderson said: "I just thought ‘how much more can I take?’ I am only human and I want to do everything for my daughter. I just want her to have what everyone else has got, I want a place we can call our own.

"My daughter’s a blessing, I wake up and her little smile just makes me fight for her, if I didn’t have her I know the situation would have been a lot different, but I would have probably given up a lot quicker, but I have to fight, she needs me and I owe her everything."

WDC says it will work with Ms Anderson to find her a new home.

Spokesman Sue Robinson said: "We worked with Karlene Anderson when she was evicted last July, offering her full advice and assistance at the time.

“This week she has approached us for further assistance and are meeting her this afternoon.

“We will work with Karlene to help find accommodation for her and her baby which is affordable, suitable and in good order with the right safety checks and certificates in place.

“Our practical help may also extend to help with the rent deposit and ensuring she can get housing benefit if she qualifies for it.”