A DIABETIC double amputee says he is trapped in his own home until he finds a builder he can trust to turn his perilous outdoor step into a ramp.
Colin Pickard, 51, of Riverside, Chelmsford, knocked himself unconscious several weeks ago when his wife Carol, 64, attempted to help him get out of the house in his wheelchair.
He said: "There is a nine-inch step stopping me from getting out of the house.
"When my wife tried to get me out of the house in my wheelchair, I fell out of it. There was blood everywhere, I lost consciousness and my wife wasn't able to lift me inside.
"When I came round I had to crawl into the house and I lay on the carpet, freezing cold for 15 minutes until the ambulance came and took me to hospital.
"I used to do maintenance work, and I would have been able to do that step myself, but I can't do it anymore, with my legs and the pain I have in my hands from the diabetes."
Mr Pickard lost his right leg several years ago after a diabetic ulcer on his toe led to him contracting gangrene and his whole leg had to be amputated.
He lost the bottom of his left leg last year following further complications. Since then he has been unable to leave his house safely.
But previous bad experiences with workmen have left the couple scared to use unknown builders, and they said they had asked Chelmsford City Council to recommend someone, but hadn't heard back.
"When we got our kitchen done, it took the builders one year to do it, and we just want to know who the council uses to do its building work, it's so frustrating," Mr Pickard said.
"I used to do work like that and I think it would take about two hours to finish, but I can't do it myself now.
"We just want a recommendation from them; we'll pay for it ourselves. We just want to find a reliable builder and we don't know who else to ask."
And without any idea where to go for help next, Mr Pickard remains essentially housebound, as leaving the house without a proper ramp in place has proven perilous.
Mrs Pickard said: "You see so much on TV about people getting ripped off by builders, and we don't have the internet, so we just don't know where to look.
"I thought the council could help us. All we are asking for is a recommendation, and it seems like we're asking for the world."
A Chelmsford City Council spokeswoman said it was looking into the matter, and would do its best to help the couple in any way it could.
