A MAN is in a battle with a council after his disabled wife fell from the toilet.

Steve Howell said the newly refurbished bathroom at their home in Saltwood Road, Seaford, was supposedly built to help his wife Hazel Jordan.

But she has had two falls in quick succession.

Now Mr Howell, 49, has accused Lewes District Council of ignoring his appeals.

Ms Jordan is disabled following two brain aneurysms.

According to Mr Howell, the first fall took place on November 12, 2018, while she was standing after using the toilet.

She apparently grabbed for some support on her right hand side – her left has been damaged by the aneurysms – but there was nothing sufficient to keep her up.

The second accident took place ten days later when Ms Jordan felt the toilet jolt and give way, causing her to slip off it and fall to her right side and forward.

Mr Howell says he reported these incidents to Lewes District Council, back by an occupational therapist, saying the work on the bathroom was unsuitable.

But he is unhappy about the “lack of action”.

He said: “I have sent loads of letters to the council asking for meetings and they have never got back to me.

“All they’ve done is pass me through to their insurance company [Zurich] who asked me to fill out even more forms.

“I have a friend who is a solicitor, they wrote us an 18-page letter and the insurance company ignored it.”

Mr Howell has said that the initial letters date back to February but he is still waiting for something to be done.

A Lewes District Council spokesman told The Argus the authority was no longer dealing with the issue.

A statement from the council said: “A claim has been made that is now in the hands of our insurers.

“We can of course speak to Mr Howell and Ms Jordan about matters relating to their tenancy, but we cannot discuss details of their claim.

“If they want to discuss their claim they need to contact our insurance company.

“We have made this clear to Mr Howell.”

Zurich insurance said the claim had not proceeded because the company was waiting for more information from Mr Howell.

This includes records of how the accidents happened and other personal information that Zurich is obliged to obtain to register the claim with the Department for Work and Pensions.

However Mr Howell insisted he had sent all the relevant details.

A Zurich spokesman said: “We’re keen to help Mr Howell and Ms Jordan and have been in touch with them on a number of occasions about their claim. Our most recent contact with Mr Howell was at the end of March, when we asked him for outstanding information about how the accidents occurred, and other vital details.

“We’ve not yet heard back from Mr Howell, so to keep things moving, we’ll contact him for these details again.”