Pensioner waited weeks for handrail at council flat only for it to then be fitted in wrong building

A pensioner had to wait eight weeks for a handrail to be installed outside his council flat – only for workers to install it in the wrong block. James Wilde says the blunder left him feeling "isolated and useless". Mr Wilde fell and broke several bones in his leg when he tried to get down the stairs of his Derby City Council flat to go to the shops. It left the 73-year-old, who was already disabled, unable to leave his flat because he could not walk down the stairs without a handrail.

He applied for a handrail to be installed in September. The work was eventually done two-months later, but it was in the wrong block of flats, leaving Mr Wilde "fuming". Mr Wilde, who lives on the first floor of the flats, said: "I'd asked for a handrail on the right-hand side because I'd really struggled to get up or down the stairs. One day, I couldn't manage it and I went flying. It was horrendous. I was in agony. I fell right to the bottom and I was there a while until somebody came and got help. I broke several bones and it meant I couldn't leave my flat, apart from to put my rubbish out, and that was a real struggle.



"I tried to get it sorted with the council several times but, when I phoned, I was put through to the wrong department and the calls were ended. Finally, I managed to speak to a person and they said they would sort it. A few weeks later, I saw a friend when I was putting my rubbish out who said they had installed it [the rail] in the other flats. I was mortified and got on to them straight away." Mr Wilde, who lives on his own, said he felt he was treated "awfully". He said: "Why do pensioners deserve to be treated like this? It took long enough for the handrail to arrive and then somebody installed it in the wrong place.

"When I was told, I thought it was a joke. It left me feeling ridiculous. I was just sat there watching the television with little else to do." A new handrail was eventually fitted in the correct flats. Maria Murphy, director of Derby Homes, the city council's housing arm, said: "A supervisor visited Mr Wilde and it was ascertained that the handrail had been fitted in the next block of flats in error. The supervisor arranged for the handrail to be removed and fitted into the correct block that afternoon. He apologised for the error and explained that the handrail would be fixed in the correct place that afternoon. The work was then carried out."