'I have been trapped in my home for six months'

A wheelchair user says he feels "trapped" after being unable to independently leave his block of flats for six months.

Lucas Honey's wheelchair was too wide to fit through the entry way at the property in Granton, Edinburgh, after C-urb installed magnetic locks to improve security in November last year.

The housing association removed the locks after he complained - but he underwent surgery in February which reduced his mobility further, meaning he was "physically unable" to push the door open unaided.

Mr Honey, 36, now wants C-urb to install an automatic opener to make the building accessible. The housing association said it would make the changes as soon as possible.

Mr Honey said he was currently only able to leave the block for about an hour a week when a carer was available to assist him.

The housing association installed the locks, designed to improve security in the block on Hesperus Crossway, following a Police Scotland recommendation.

But the mechanism meant metal strips were installed around the doorframe, narrowing it by about four inches.

C-urb removed them after Mr Honey complained that his new chair was not able to pass them.

Mr Honey moved into the building four years ago.

He told the housing association, which is part of the Link housing group, in December last year that he was due to undergo surgery and would require an automatic opener to be installed.

C-urb assured him the adaptations would be made by the time he got out of hospital, which was delayed after he suffered a bout of sepsis and required further surgery.

However, Mr Honey has not been able to push the door open since he returned home and has been confined indoors.

He said: "They told me it would be fixed by the time I got out of surgery in February.

"I'm trapped here. I can't go outside. I can't go to the shop. I can't go for fresh air. I can't go and see my friends.

"I'm recovering from two major surgeries and sepsis and I'm trapped in my building and it is having a horrific effect on my mental health and my recovery."

Mr Honey had a meeting with C-urb and contractors responsible for the building on 1 April to discuss the installation of a wider door with an automatic opener.

He said he is only entitled to 12 hours of care per week under his recovery plan.

Mr Honey previously ran a social group for disabled people in Edinburgh, but has been unable to do so since his surgery.

He said he was also unable to go out and see friends, pick up prescriptions or go food shopping without eating into his care time.

"Obviously, the more I leave the building during that 12 hours, the less care and help I get in the flat," Mr Honey said.

"I'm recovering from surgery so it would be nice to go out, but obviously I can't use the whole 12 hours to go out, because I still need care and I still need help round the house.

"I just want my life back."

C-urb has increased Mr Honey's rent by £57 per month from 1 July.

A spokeswoman for C-urb said Mr Honey's case was a "priority".

She said the current issues were "not a long-term solution".

The spokeswoman added: "We are fully committed to delivering compliant adaptations as swiftly as possible, including securing the necessary statutory consent.

"We are maintaining regular dialogue with the tenant to ensure access issues are managed safely and appropriately in the meantime.

"While the current arrangements are not a long-term solution, the tenant is able to leave the building when others are available to open the communal door."