An Army veteran, who has recently lost a leg, is 158th on Medway Council’s waiting list for a disabled parking bay.

Peter Hosking has had problems with his legs for almost 20 years, and applied for a designated bay outside his house in Priestfield Road, Gillingham, after having his leg amputated in November.

The 59-year-old says he now feels stranded in his own home as it is a physical ordeal to get out and get to his car unless it is parked outside his front door.

Mr Hosking said he was told by a council employee he was 158th on the waiting list and there was only one man who could do the job of putting in the bay.

The father-of-two said: “If there’s only one man doing the job, what happens when he goes sick or goes on holiday?

“As an ex-soldier I’m used to the rough and tough, I can get around most things but sitting here watching the gogglebox is frustrating, I like to get out and about.

“If I can get to my car, I can get out but as soon as I leave, five or 10 minutes later the space is gone and I have to hop quite a distance to my front door.”

He added: “I’m obviously not the only one, what are other people doing?”

There are a couple of disabled bays further down the road but he said it would be a struggle for him to get to and from his house.

Mr Hosking was a specialist tank driver in the Royal Engineers for 19 years before going on to work in security for the Ministry of Defence.

The problems with his legs began when Mr Hosking was knocked off his scooter by a car in Luton Road, Chatham, 19 years ago. All the bones in his right leg were broken and he had ligament damage in his left.

But things escalated when a blister on his right foot became infected.

A Medway Council spokesman said: “Requests for disabled parking bay lines are dealt with in the order in which they are requested, and we get a high number of requests.

“There are several stages that must be completed before bays can be painted, including site visits, highway inspections and safety assessments.”

Disabled parking bays are not a statutory requirement and can cost up to £500 per case.