A mum who was left with a financial nightmare after her long term partner tragically died aged only 30 has called for changes in the law to protect unmarried couples.

Unmarried ‘cohabiting’ couples have little security, meaning that families, including children, can be left in severe hardship if one of the couple dies or the couple separates.

Many cohabiting couples are unaware that they do not have the same protections and rights as married couples and have a mistaken belief in the notion of “common law marriage” – however this has no specific legal status.

It is thought about one in five couples in Britain are not married.

One of those was Holmfirth mum Sheena O'Connor, whose partner Liam Greenwood was killed in freak mountain biking accident in Leeds in September 2016.

Liam's bike crash severed his femoral vein and delays in finding him in woods in Middleton Park meant that he lost so much blood that his heart stopped in the ambulance on the way to hospital.

Sheena O'Connor with her partner Liam Greenwood, who died in a cycling accident, and their son Euan

Sheena, whose son Euan was three at the time, was not only devastated by his death, but his passing left her in financial ruin as Liam was the main bread winner for the family.

Liam had no life insurance as they had not yet purchased a home and her troubles deepened when she discovered she was not eligible for Widowed Parent Allowance because they were not married.

The benefit is worth up to £117 a week but is only for people who were married or in civil partnerships.

Sheena, 35, said: "We thought we had all the time in the world to get married and do the things we had planned to do.

"We had talked about getting married before he passed away and we were about to buy a house, but we pulled out and so Liam had no life insurance.

"You never think that something like this would ever happen to you, it's something that happens to other people - but it can happen to anybody.

"Grief is difficult enough without the added stress of financial concerns.

"I was scared and didn't know how I was going to cope. At times I still feel that way.

"I had a lot of financial worries when Liam died and I ended up on income support.

"If we had been married I would've got Widowed Parent Allowance, which would have been a massive help.

"It was quite a shock to be told that you're not entitled to something just because you're not married.

"It seems it is socially acceptable to make out that your relationship is worth less.

"We were together for six years, so it's hard to take when you've got a child and you're very close.

"Widowed Parent Allowance would help to alleviate some of the fear, knowing you have that extra financial support you can rely on.

"It would have added some much needed security to mine and Euan's lives.

Liam Greenwood, who died in a cycling accident, with his son Euan
Liam Greenwood, who died in a cycling accident in September 2016, with his son Euan

"Euan is still Liam's child and he would want his national insurance contributions to go to supporting him.

"It is not our little boy's fault that we had not yet married - we just ran out of time.

"There are many couples now cohabiting who have children and the current law does not correctly represent the times we are currently living in.

"It needs to be brought into the 21st century."

Sheena's tragic tale has prompted her MP, Thelma Walker, to launch a new campaign to get equality for cohabiting couples.

The Colne Valley MP has lodged a motion in Parliament to extend bereavement support payments for unmarried couples.

She said: "This outdated law infers that cohabiting parents and their children are insignificant.

"Discovering you are not eligible for bereavement benefits comes as a huge blow at an already very painful and difficult time.

"A change in the law would ease the financial strain on many grieving families and give parents the opportunity to spend more time with their children, providing them with much needed emotional support."

Thelma is now calling for a wider debate in Parliament on the need for changes to the law to give equal protection for cohabiting families and their children.

Campaign to get equal rights for unmarried couples. (l-r) Sheena O'Connor, Thelma Walker MP, Sarah Ward (Partner, Ramsdens Solicitors)

She added: "Our laws need to reflect the reality of modern day Britain.

"In my constituency there are over 5,000 cohabiting couples.

"Cohabitation is the fastest growing family type in the UK.

"These families and their children deserve the same rights and protections as married couples."

In the time since Liam's death, a Supreme Court decision has called into question the legality of denying co-habitees Widowed Parents Allowance.

Sarah Ward, partner and specialist family law solicitor from Huddersfield law firm Ramsdens, said: "Whilst the recent Supreme Court ruling is a welcome victory and may give some the grounds for legal challenge for bereavement benefits, what we need is a change in the law to guarantee basic legal rights for couples who live together.

"Unmarried couples who separate are not necessarily entitled to share in assets, such as a house to which they may have made significant contributions if they are not named as an owner.

"This is the same regardless of the length of their relationship or whether they have children.

"Thelma’s campaign is really important."

Sheena said changes to bereavement benefits made in April 2017 were also regressive.

Now if a parent passes away you only receive widowed parents allowance for 18 months as opposed to until the time your children leave education.

She added: "18 months is no time in our situation.

"You cannot put a time limit on grief.

"Our child has become more aware of the impact of losing his father over the past couple of years and is in need of more emotional support.

"I expect this to continue to be the case."