A disabled couple who were told they could not park a mobility scooter outside their own front door because it was a fire hazard have now been told they can – but it will cost them £4,000.

Malcolm and Cheryl Elliott have been battling with Medway Council for more than 12 months for permission to keep the vehicle outside their flat in Skinner Street, Gillingham.

The couple have been keeping the scooter in their living room.

Mr Elliott, who has the chronic lung disease COPD, has been struggling to get the vehicle in and out of their flat.

The couple moved to the ground floor property in Tintagel Manor because they found it difficult to use the stairs in their old house and were struggling to pay the rent after the introduction of the so-called bedroom tax.

They have now been told a shelter and associated works for the scooter will cost £4,000 – £3,000 for the storage unit, £500 for a charging point and £500 to widen the path.

They are not eligible for a grant so would have to pay for it.

When they moved out of the flat, they would have to pay for restoring the outside of the property to its present state.

Mr Elliott, 57, said: “We only want a simple shelter, I don’t see why it has to cost so much. It is not an option, we don’t have that kind of money.”

Mrs Elliott, 54, who uses the scooter because of problems with her hips, said: “Last year the answer we got was ‘Well, move then.’ But it is not that easy.

“We are both disabled and we cannot face the upheaval. This is our home. We don’t want to move again.”

A Medway Council spokesman said: “Provision of a scooter shelter is deemed a non-assessed need because the scooter has not been provided by a statutory service. This means the council is unable to provide funding.

“As an alternative, we have offered to look at other accommodation for them if they wish to move to a property that they feel better suits their lifestyle.”