by Katie Lamborn

Shocking new figures revealed today that disabled people in parts of Kent are being forced to wait up to two years for a wheelchair.

Statistics released by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign show Eastern and Coastal Kent are the worst when it comes to delivering the vital service - with waits sometimes totalling nine months.

That compares to Medway, where disabled people can expect to wait just 10 weeks for a wheelchair.

Mark Bishop, from Herne Bay, waited two years for the wheelchair he needs.

The 48-year-old, who suffers from a form of the muscle-wasting condition called Becker muscular dystrophy, said: "The postcode lottery just isn't fair.

"I'm still waiting for the right electric wheelchair - not having it restricts everything I do.

"It took two years for wheelchair services to adapt a wheelchair they had to what I wanted and even now its not finished - someone with a Meccano kit could have done a better job.

"I had to leave it in the end and stick with the old one which is very very uncomfortable - it's so hard to leave the house in it."

Mark, of Coventry Gardens, added: "I just want a new wheelchair so I can get on with living."

The campaign is taking the figures to Parliament today for the launch of its wheelchair report.

Head of policy and campaigns Nic Bungay said: "We were shocked to learn of the massive gaps in wheelchair services faced by people across the country.

"It's particularly frustrating for a lot of patients that if they lived somewhere else, sometimes even just in the next town, their access to wheelchairs could be much better."

Medway PCT say they are "delighted" that people who need a wheelchair in their area are getting one more quickly.

"We have invested more money in the service, cleared the waiting lists and involved patients in a project to change the way the wheelchair service was being delivered to make it more efficient and streamlined."

A spokesman for Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT said the average waiting time in the area was just 12 weeks, with more complex cases taking up to nine months.