The Ukrainian couple threatened with homelessness last month are in emergency accommodation until May 15, after which they expect to be completely homeless.

Pensioners Valerii and Nataliia Safronova came to Farnham in 2022 having fled war-torn Kharkiv and lived in retirement accommodation.

This has now been sold so they applied to Waverley Borough Council for housing. Waverley offered them a maisonette in Haslemere but it had no accessible bathing facilities and medical experts said it was unsuitable.

Farnham Homes for Ukraine founder Kate Larmer, who has been supporting the Safronovas, said: “Nataliia’s GP said ‘The use of a bath presents a risk of falls and injury. She needs to be able to use a walk-in shower, wet room or level-access shower’.

“Valerii’s consultant wrote: ‘He is at high risk of falling (and) will require warm housing with accessible bathroom facilities and preferably level access’. However, Waverley told me that the council does not need to pay regard to medical assessments.

“I think Waverley believes that someone will magically come forward and offer them a place but that is not going to happen. Are we really going to have an elderly couple living in a tent? It’s unthinkable. We are taking legal advice and are asking the council to use their discretion to house them.”

A spokesperson for Waverley Borough Council said: “We cannot comment on the specifics of individual housing cases.

“However, every application is assessed in accordance with homelessness legislation and national guidance, with careful consideration given to each household’s individual circumstances.

“Medical evidence may be reviewed as part of this process, but the presence of a medical condition does not automatically mean accommodation will be deemed unsuitable or that a higher housing priority will apply. Decisions must be made objectively against the relevant legal thresholds to ensure fairness and consistency for all applicants.”