The squalor could be over this week

Robert Diamond, whose plight was highlighted in the Telegraph & Argus last Thursday, is due to meet housing officers to sign up for alternative accommodation on Wednesday.

The move to a flat on nearby Ridings Way would be an interim measure until permanent accommodation is found.

The council's principal area housing manager, Ian Simpson, said Mr Diamond had been shown round the flat last Friday and seemed happy with the move.

He said: "We intend to sign Mr Diamond up for the flat

on Wednesday, assuming that he wants it.

"We are hoping that it will be ready for him to move in at the end of next week - the only caveat is if our building services go into the property and find it needs some extra work."

Mr Diamond said he was looking forward to moving in.

"The flat is a lot better than this one I am in. There is more room, it is a lot warmer and the windows are double glazed. It is a top-floor flat so it is out of the reach of vandals."

Last week, the T&A revealed how Mr Diamond's boarded-up maisonette on Stainton Close was so run down that council contractors had broken in twice, thinking it was empty.

The row of houses is included in plans for demolition under proposals to regenerate the estate, but most residents have abandoned the area, leaving just four properties occupied.

The proposed interim accommodation is also earmarked for clearance, but it would offer Mr Diamond, who has claimed disability benefits since suffering head injuries in a fall, greater security and the chance to retain a £1,500 Home Loss Payment.

Bradford Council's Director of Housing Geraldine Howley, who has denied failing residents of Stainton Close, said the interim arrangements had been offered to residents before Christ-mas.

She said: "We're doing everything we can to see if we can move Mr Diamond next week as we are sympathetic to the surroundings he is in."

The remaining three residents have yet to decide whether to relocate, she added.