A dream home has turned into a chilling nightmare for an Adlington family whose gas bills have rocketed seven-fold.

Father of six, Alan Williams, 47, says the £345,000 luxury property in Barn View was a dream come true when he bought it 18 months ago.

But it has turned into a chilling nightmare -- so cold at times that his family are forced to cover up with blankets.

A gas bill for a seven-week period from April 1 to May 22, came to £524.97 while for the previous quarter it was £778.46.

The family moved from a similar four-bedroomed house on The Bowers, Chorley, where the quarterly bills were around £95.

Mr Williams is getting hot under the collar with developers Westbury, who he claims did not fit underfloor insulation. He said his neighbours have complained to him about their cold homes too.

His new five-bedroomed detached house is on the prestigious Fairview Estate, recently praised by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment.

Mr Williams, who lives with wife Amanda, 30, and their six children, aged from 12 years to 16 weeks, said: "Even with the heating on 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the ground floor is so cold you can feel it penetrating to your bones.

"It has really got us down. Come round most evenings and you will find my kids watching TV covered with blankets."

Mr Williams took his complaint to the National House Building Council (NHBC), which inspected the property in June.

They said: "We found no evidence of non-compliance with NHBC's Technical Standards and as such, regrettably, we were unable to assist Mr Williams with his problem." The NHBC referred him to Chorley Borough Council who police the regulations regarding new developments, including conservation of energy through insulation.

A spokesperson for the council said: "Unfortunately we have limited resources and funds that we have to direct to the functions we are required to carry out by law. As such we are not always able to spend time investigating matters we would like to.

"Floor insulation is not a mandatory inspection and Chorley Borough Council has no powers under The Building Act 1984 to take enforcement action against any contractor for faulty work which has been completed in excess of twelve months."

The council suggested he contact the NHBC and said he may wish to have an independent investigation.

A spokesperson for Westbury said: "As a responsible housebuilder, we have followed the recommendations of the National House Building Council.

"A copy of its report concluding that there are no breaches of its technical requirements, in addition to reassurance that property has been constructed in line with national and local authority building regulations, has been issued to Mr Williams."

However she added: "The materials used in the construction of the property negate the need for additional floor insulation.

"These include the use of a thermalite shield block in the flooring which is specifically designed to prevent heat loss and enhanced internal block work with increased insulation properties."

The Williams' house is now up for sale, but they fear its heating bills may freeze buyers out.