A VULNERABLE woman and her 17-year-old daughter were violently evicted from their council home in Cardiff yesterday after bedroom tax charges on her late mother’s room led to them falling £3,000 in arrears.

One of a number of local residents taking part in an emergency eviction blockade was arrested at the scene after preventing bailiffs from accessing Mandy Williams’s home.

Plaid Cymru Cllr Neil McEvoy offered to cover Ms Williams’s costs but had his money rejected by a court and Labour-led Cardiff council.

Speaking to the Star, Mr McEvoy said he put through the courts an emergency application to stop the eviction which was “opposed by the council.”

He said: “I offered to pay. We put forward a payment plan to cover the arrears, which included bedroom tax, fees and, crucially, an overpayment by the council.

“The council vigorously opposed all our attempts to find a solution — I gave them the opportunity to pay it on my credit card and they refused.

“A red Tory council forced the eviction. They are a disgrace, an absolute disgrace.”

According to housing campaigners, Ms Williams’s story is one of neglect by the council, which has disregarded her mental health condition.

The former Welsh Assembly cleaner has been unemployed since she began to suffer from serious depression after her mother’s death last Christmas.

On the day of her eviction, no new accommodation had been found for the 42-year-old, who was expected to sleep rough for the night.

Thirty of Ms Williams’s supporters stood outside her home yesterday morning but reluctantly left after her return from the court.

The arrested campaigner was released at the scene after those conducting the blockade agreed to leave the site.

Speaking on behalf of Cardiff’s council cabinet, Cllr Susan Elsmore said: “The council is not allowed to discuss individual circumstances, but often cases are more complicated than how they are represented in the media.

“The council has a commitment not to evict any tenant who is engaging with officers to resolve the issue. It is only as a worst-case scenario that possession proceedings are initiated.”

Campaigners told the Star that they would not give up without a fight, added that they hoping to reignite the anti-bedroom tax movement in Wales in the coming weeks.