A disabled man has claimed a council is stopping him getting any exercise because it has banned him from building a shed to store his pedal go-cart.

Cyclist Anthony Lovell, 42, lost his right arm in 1992 when he was knocked off his bike.

He has a metal joint in his shoulder and can only lift the equivalent of a two pint carton of milk.

Because he can no longer ride a conventional bike he bought a four-wheel go-cart bike from Holland, which cost £1,250 three years ago.

He said: "I used it every day it was not raining and it really improved my health.

"It is important because of my fitness and I can't ride anything else.

"It took me a long time to find this bike."

However, Mr Lovell ran into trouble when he asked the district council for permission to build a shed to store the machine outside his council flat in Surry Street, Shoreham.

Adur District Council refused as it only allows shelters for mobility scooters.

Neighbours complained about the bike being stored under a tarpaulin in the communal grounds.

He said: "Now I have to keep it in a lock up in Lancing over the winter.

"It is about three miles away and I can't pick it up every time I want it.

"It is sitting there doing nothing."

He is worried thieves will break into his garage and steal or vandalise the machine.

Mr Lovell has not worked since the 1992 accident and suffers from depression.

He was offered a place in an exercise group for disabled people but turned it down because he prefers the independence of cycling on his own.

He said: "I gain a lot from cycling. It makes me happy, keeps me fit and gives me something to do as well.

"It would mean more than anything in the world to me to get back on a bike of some sort."

The shed would have been outside his window and would not have blocked anybody's view.

Mr Lovell said he did not want an electric mobility scooter as he preferred to get around under his own steam where possible.

He felt he was being penalised by the council for choosing a self-propelled vehicle instead of a motorised scooter.

A council spokeswoman said: "He wanted to build the shed on communal land so he was turned down.

"If he had been given permission it would have set a precedent for other people."

The council's policy of allowing shelters for mobility scooters did not apply to the bike because it was designed for fun and exercise not transport.