'Telling my children we can go home felt amazing'

A woman who won a battle to move into the house in which her mother was stabbed to death said it felt "amazing" telling her family the news.

Lucie Lambourne has been describing how the support of her community forced a U-turn from a housing association.

Southern Housing, which owns the property, initially said Ms Lambourne, who had previously lived at the property, had no legal right to the tenancy as she was not considered to be "in housing need".

"To be able to tell my children we could go home felt amazing," Ms Lambourne said.

She said the decision felt like "a weight off my shoulders", adding: "I was expecting bad news to be completely honest.

"I didn't think it would go the way it did."

She said she burst into tears when she heard the news.

She said: "I've pushed and pushed for this, but with the support of the community fighting my corner it has made the difference."

Rita Lambourne was killed in her home in Bexhill, East Sussex, in February.

Ms Lambourne had previously said she and her three children had left her mother's home because it was overcrowded, but the pair had agreed to swap her Southern Housing flat with her mother's property in a mutual exchange.

Rother District Council and Southern Housing released a joint statement on Wednesday confirming they would now be allowing her to move in.

They said they took the decision given "the tragic and exceptional circumstances in this case".

Ms Lambourne said: "Losing mum was the worst thing that could have happened.

"This place was our last connection to her."

A man is due to stand trial in August charged with Ms Lambourne's murder.

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