THE proprietor of a popular restaurant is recovering at home after he nearly died as a result of contracting pneumonia in hospital.

Otto Kreft, 69, who runs the Bridge Inn, in Stapleton, near Darlington, with wife Ann and son and head chef Warren, went into the James Cook University Hospital last month for a back operation.

While the operation itself was a success, three days into his recovery he contracted pneumonia and ended up on a life-support machine in intensive care after all of his organs failed.

He now requires a wheelchair and has been warned by doctors it could take up to a year to fully recover.

The couple, who have been married 36 years and have run the Bridge Inn for the past 14 years, have praised staff at the venue for their support during their ordeal.

When Mr Kreft returned from hospital this week, staff lined up to greet him, cheering his arrival and also letting off fireworks.

Mrs Kreft, who spent every day by her husband’s bedside, said: “We did not think we would get him back.

“Otto is half-Italian and half-German, he is a very strong man and I think his will is why he is here now.

“The staff have been absolute gems and have carried us so we are going to have a party for them. It has been a struggle but we got there.”

Mrs Kreft said she was “upset and drained” by the family’s experience and also criticised her husband’s care while he was in hospital.

She said: “He was fine when he went in otherwise they would not have done the operation.

“We want to know how he got this in the first instance, where did it come from? Why did he not get the care he needed?

“We are planning to take this further.”

Mr Kreft claimed that at one stage after being assisted to go to the toilet at the hospital, he was left alone for an hour with no staff to help him.

He also said he regularly had to bang on his bedside table with a bottle in order to attract the attention of nurses.

He said: “It is a relief to be back home. It was emotional and I was crying.

“I remember going in for the operation and vaguely being sick. It feels like four weeks of my life have gone. It has been a nightmare.”

Warren Kreft, who was trained by his father and also served under celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey, said he was asked by doctors to communicate with Mr Kreft, holding his hand and talking to him as he came out of sedation.

He said: “They did save his life and the main thing is he is still here. We were told to prepare to lose him. It was terrible.

“His bed was covered in cards and when he came home all the staff were stood around the green cheering.”

A spokesman for South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are disappointed to hear that a patient is complaining about the treatment they received at our hospital.

"We have not received a complaint from the patient but when complainants send a formal written concern, we look into it and duly respond.”