A DISABLED man last night described his home as a "prison cell" after a broken lift trapped him inside for three weeks.

Terry Waldon has been stranded in his second floor flat since the lift failed on January 13.

And despite calls to owners Coast and Country Housing and the intervention of his MP Ashok Kumar - the lift last night remained out of order.

The 53-year-old former oil rig worker who suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic lung disease and deep vein thrombosis, relies on his electric scooter to get outside.

Officials last night assured residents of Raithwaite House, in Guisborough, east Cleveland. it will be repaired by the end of the week.

Mr Waldon said: "I would normally go out - I like to smell the air - it helps my COPD.

"But I have been stuck in for three weeks and my breathing is getting steadily worse for the simple reason I have been breathing in the same air. This flat is my prison cell - I want my independence back.

"When I wake up in the morning I just don't see why I should get out of bed. If there is a fire I will be the last person to get out - and it will be in a coffin."

North Guisborough Community Forum called an urgent meeting today but tempers flared when no one from the housing organisation attended.

Iain Sim, chief executive of Coast and Country Housing, said: "We are doing everything possible to have the lift repaired as a matter of urgency.

"We received notification that a public meeting was to take place but we were not directly invited to attend. We have kept the residents fully informed of the situation and our staff have made themselves very accessible during this incident.

"We were particularly concerned about the welfare of one resident, who is disabled, and over the last several days have made him offers of alternative accommodation. He has decided not to accept these offers but he will continue to receive daily visits from our wardens until the lift is repaired.

"Our primary concern throughout this incident, which is not of our making, has been to do all we could to minimise any distress or disruption to our residents."