A WHEELCHAIR-BOUND amputee is pleading for the kerb outside of his home to be dropped, claiming he is regularly stranded for up to twenty minutes in all weather conditions.

Tom Smith has been relying on the good will of passers-by to help him mount the pavement since he moved into his specially adapted bungalow in Hilton Road, Bishop Auckland, 18 months ago.

The 78-year-old, who also suffers from a severe neurological condition, says both a ramp near the front of his home and one 100ft down the road are too steep for him to negotiate up on his wheelchair and mobility scooter.

This means when returning home from town or visiting friends, Mr Smith is left stranded on the other side of the road waiting for a neighbour to pass by.

He has been asking Durham County Council to drop the kerb for months.

“I’ve been told there is no money for it to be done,” said Mr Smith, a retired British Airways worker.

“It upsets me because they have lent millions to Durham Cricket Club and they can’t spare a few hundred pounds to help someone in a wheelchair access his home. It’s affecting my independence.”

However, John Reed, Durham County Council’s head of technical services, said the authority had only recently taken on responsibility for Hilton Road, and was now looking at putting in three dropped kerbs in the area.

He said: “When we were first contacted by Mr Smith, our enquiries showed that Hilton Road is not maintained by us and therefore we were not in a position to put in dropped kerbs.

“We have since taken on responsibility for the road and following on from that we are looking at putting in three dropped kerbs – which would be close to Mr Smith’s home - in order to improve accessibility for all.

“We hope this would be a solution Mr Smith would be happy with.”

Mr Smith welcomed the news that dropped kerbs are being considered but said he had never been informed that the stretch of road at the rear of his bungalow was not the council’s responsibility.

“The first inspector said the road in front of the green at the front of the bungalows was not the council’s responsibility, but I explained at the time that this wasn’t where I needed the dropped kerb,” he added.