This followed a doctor examining Mrs Storrier and saying she could not stay at the home of a neighbour where she had been moved to by sheriff officers.

The officers had arrived unannounced at the ground-floor flat shortly after 10am.

Mrs Storrier was still in her nightclothes but they helped her to her feet and, with their assistance, she hobbled to the neighbour’s home across the landing.

The sheriff officers then called for an ambulance, but when it arrived it was decided to seek expert advice on whether Mrs Storrier could be moved any further and the crew called for a doctor.

The doctor arrived several hours later and examined Mrs Storrier and said she couldn’t stay where she was.

The family’s legal adviser Donald Pirie said, “The top-floor flat (from which the Storriers had been decanted in the first place) is unsuitable for her and the council even understand that.

“She’ll be going to the top-floor flat only as a temporary measure because we are applying for the Storriers to be given the tenancy of the ground-floor flat because that is the one suitable for them.”

The sheriff officers first tried to move the Storriers back to their next-door accommodation on Monday, but Mrs Storrier was too unwell and the exercise had to be abandoned.

Dundee City Council has been granted a court order to evict the couple from the ground-floor flat. They had been decanted from their top-floor flat to allow it to be refurbished.

Because of Mrs Storrier’s failing health, her family say the ground-floor dwelling is more suitable.

The council says it has a long list of people with greater medical needs for the ground-floor flat.

The family has this week refused to speak to senior officers of the council who wished to further discuss the situation.

“It was made clear to them some time ago they could not remain in the decanted property because they had no entitlement to it. They refused to leave, despite the offer of a ground-floor house at Kingsway East and the option of returning to their original home.

“The couple have, in fact, been occupying the decanted property illegally, and the council was left with no alternative but to take legal action to regain possession of the house.

“The successful court action meant a sheriff agreed with the council’s position on this.

“There are about 30 people ahead of the couple in the queue for a house like the decanted property. This property had been allocated to someone with greater medical needs and who has been waiting longer for a suitable house. The council had to withdraw the offer of the house to this person because the couple refused to leave and continued to occupy it unlawfully.”