The farmworker's odd home had a bed and small stove - and precious little else.

There was:

NO hot water.

NO bath or shower.

NO heating.

And the nearest toilet was 60 yards away.

But now - at the age of 71 - the man has retired from the village farm where he lived and was rehoused in Knutsford at the weekend.

Both the farmer and worker were tight-lipped about the move.

"The farmer has been a friend for many years and doesn't want me to say anything," said the pensioner, who asked not to be identified.

But a friend said the small cow shed had a leaky roof and was freezing during winter.

"Whenever he moved out to stay with anyone, the farmer moved the cows in," he claimed.

Clr Bill Davies, who was alerted to the case by one of the pensioner's pals, praised housing officers for their promptness in finding him a home.

"I found it difficult to believe in this day and age that anyone could live in these conditions," he said.

"I am really delighted that he has found a small, manageable place where for the first time in 25 years he will have adequate heating, light and a proper kitchen."

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.