By Victoria Chessum and Vicky Castle

Money is being raised to put an end to a Folkestone man’s “nightmare” after he severed his forearm in an industrial incident.

Nathan Johnston, 27, a former tyre shredder, had his life changed dramatically on November 27, 2013 when the sleeve of his work overalls was caught in a shredding machine.

He was working at LMR tyre recycling at Shottenden Manor, Ashford, and lost his right forearm up to the elbow as a result.

The firm’s owner, Mark Arabaje, had admitted removing safety features from the machine and was ordered to pay £5,000 in compensation.

Laura Johnston, 32, has since dedicated herself to being her husband’s full-time carer and is now appealing for funds to pay for a working bionic arm.

She branded the £5,000 compensation award as an “insult”, and said Mr Johnston has received only a small fraction to date.

A spokeswoman for the CPS finance office confirmed the last payment had been received in November 2015 and Mr Arabaje has not paid anything since.

She said the issue had now been passed on to the enforcement team who had issued a warrant to find Mr Arabaje.

Mr Arabaje admitted to KentOnline that he had not been paying but said that he “feels bad” for Mr Johnston.

The bionic arm works by detecting the nerves from the shoulder and will move accordingly.

Mrs Johnston, a former hairdresser, said it will transform their lives and will enable him to return to his other line of work, erecting marquees.

The mother-of-two, who lives with her husband in the Shorncliffe area, said: “It has been a nightmare.

“He doesn’t like going out because people look and stare, it is very hard to get him up and out.

“With a working bionic arm he will have full movement and he will be able to go back to putting up marquees.

“At the moment he is stuck and he can’t do anything. This arm will open up a whole new lease of life for him.

“He has a prosthetic arm from the NHS and doesn’t wear it as it is a harness he has to wear and it limits his movements, it is extremely uncomfortable.”

People can make a donation online.