A LAST-minute plea has been made before West Somerset eviction woman Pam Leach becomes homeless on Thursday (August 24).

Ms Leach was the subject of a ‘no-fault eviction’ last month from her rented house in Doverhay, Porlock, but was offered four weeks in an empty holiday-let cottage by a neighbour further along the road.

Now, Ms Leach faces homelessness for a second time this summer as she has to vacate the property on Thursday to allow the owner to fulfil a holiday booking.

Her case made national headlines because her plight was exacerbated by a lack of affordable properties on Exmoor due to so many being bought as second homes or Airbnb holiday lets.

Ms Leach, a retired graphics designer, was born in a National Trust cottage in Allerford, just outside Porlock, and was brought up in West Somerset before going to live in Barbados for a number of years.

On returning to the UK four years ago she was unable to secure a National Trust home and discovered options for renting locally were limited because ‘outsiders’ buying up properties to use at weekends or for holiday lets had reduced the housing pool.

Now, Ms Leach, who also has three cats as part of her household, is at her wit’s end with no offers of any suitable home being available in the next 24 hours.

Ms Leach said: “Part of the problem is that people seem to think from the publicity that I would be some kind of burden when I will not be.

“They are not understanding that I have always paid every penny of rent and I can do tasks such as gardening and DIY for free to help a landlord.”

Ms Leach said she was in contact with Somerset Council’s housing team but after several months it had not yet been of any help.

Because she is not ‘wired for the internet’ she has missed out on some properties which may have been suitable, and she has to visit local libraries to be able to go online to search for accommodation.

Ms Leach said: “It is such a horrible feeling, having been a homeowner before and now being pushed around by people and nobody seems able to help.

“Even if there was somewhere just for two weeks, that would be helpful right now.”

West Somerset MP Ian Liddell-Grainger, who has been involved in helping Ms Leach, has supported Government proposals for rented housing sector regulations to restrict a proliferation of short-term holiday lets in rural communities.

Mr Liddell-Grainger said as well as the impact on people such as Ms Leach, the number of holiday lets also made it difficult for businesses to recruit staff who were unable to find anywhere local to live.

The Government has also introduced a Renters (Reform) Bill to stop ‘no fault evictions’, which is expected to become law in the autumn.

Exmoor’s newly-created Local Community Network (LCN) of parish councils and local agencies has made the Airbnb and second homes issue one of its top priorities to try to tackle.

• Anybody who may know of a rental property available in West Somerset which might suit Ms Leach can contact the Free Press to be put in touch with her.