A GWENT man says he is living "like a refugee" after being forced from his home by poisonous fumes from a faulty heating system.

David Childs, 32, and his mother, Ann Broben, of Coedypaen, near Pontypool, had to move out after kerosene from the heating system of a neighbouring house accidentally leaked into their drainage system.

The leaking oil caused poisonous fumes to build up outside the home and posed a threat to their water system, environmental health officers warned.

The pair are now staying with relatives after being advised that the house was not safe to live in.

"The fumes were overwhelming," said Mr Childs, a student. "They built up so much that we had to keep opening our doors and windows to let the smell out.

"We called the environmental health inspector and he said it wasn't safe for us to stay in the house for long periods of time. We've been left like refugees."

A spokeswoman for Monmouthshire county council said the leak from the neighbouring house was accidental and the council was working with both parties to come to a solution.

"We will continue to monitor in the cottage affected," she said.

"We will continue to work with the householder to try to get a quick solution to this problem. A lot of the formal remedies open to the council would increase the time taken to resolve this issue."