AFTER 20 months in hospital battling a rare illness he was not expected to survive, Ben Haysom was looking forward to finally going home.

The inspirational 26-year-old, who amazed doctors with his recovery progress after contracting the acute muscle-wasting condition pancreatitis was offered a bungalow in his home village of Sturminster Marshall.

The Churchill Close property was adapted to accommodate Mr Haysom's wheelchair but this week - just days before he was due to move into his new home - he received a £1,300 rent demand from East Dorset Housing Association and a threat of having the bungalow re-possessed.

Devastated Mr Haysom told the Daily Echo: "The housing association says I took over the tenancy on April 24 but I haven't been physically able to get in the front door.

"Social services seem to have taken so long doing the alterations and I am angry with the housing association for harassing me for the money, which has been totally out of order."

"They have suggested I can pay it in instalments but I already have £16,000 debts from when I was at university."

Mr Haysom was working as an IT support worker in Ringwood before suddenly being struck down with the condition in January 2003.

He spent more than five months in Poole Hospital's critical care unit as the disease rapidly attacked his muscles. During that time he was on a ventilator and lost his speech.

He told the Daily Echo: "I don't remember anything from those first few months. I then moved onto the Portland Ward where I went on the traumatic brain injury programme and had lots of physio and occupational therapy which helped bring back movement in my legs and arms."

It was in April this year that doctors first talked about him going home and the offer of the bungalow was "like a dream."

Mr Haysom, who has been at Blandford Hospital since June, described his recent treatment by the housing association as: "very distressing."

Nick Fry of East Dorset Housing Association said: "As the tenant he is responsible for the rent even though he isn't currently living in the property.

"We are very sympathetic to his situation and want to work with him to find a solution once he has moved in. We can make arrangements for him to clear the arrears by instalments.

"We made it quite clear to him that the work needed on the property was going to take some time and he still accepted the accommodation.

"I'm sorry he has found this process distressing, we've tried to be as sensitive as possible. We hope this bungalow will be his home for many years and the last thing we want to do is take legal action against him," he added.

The county council says work requested by occupational therapists to make the house suitable for Mr Haysom was extensive and that the four months it took to complete, which included waiting for planning consents, was reasonable.

First published: September 8