A DISABLED woman claims she is marooned in her new home because it is inaccessible for her mobility scooter.

Sharon Gallivan, 56, was forced to downsize because of the bedroom tax.

Mrs Gallivan who has crippling osteoarthritis and has to take morphine four times a day, cannot get the scooter down the garden path as it is not wide enough and there is a slope she is unable to safely navigate.The vehicle is too heavy to lift in the Monmouthshire Housing Association property in Shirenewton, so Mrs Gallivan has to rely on daughter Lucy, 33, to bring it round if she needs to go out.

Her husband Colin, 61, said: “It’s terrible. It’s breaking her heart.”

The access issue is one of a catalogue of problems the couple have had since moving into Blethyn Close with husband Colin, 61, in September, after they asked for a smaller house because of the impact of the bedroom tax.

Launched in April, it costs social housing tenants with spare rooms an average £16 a week. Wheelchair user Mrs Gallivan, says the shower compartment is too small for her and so she has to be taken to her daughter’s to use hers every other day: “It’s degrading. I just want to live somewhere I can wash properly.”

The couple say Monmouthshire Housing Association told them the garden gate would be replaced, the path would be widened and the garden levelled off. Mr Gallivan said an inspector for the housing association has failed to keep appointments with them: “We have complained at least twice a week but nothing has been done. We feel terribly let down.”

A spokeswoman for Monmouthshire Housing Association said: “We are working closely with Mr and Mrs Gallivan to address the issues they have experienced in their home and are sorry they feel they have experienced a less than top class service. We have prioritised the work and any additional items are being dealt with as a matter of urgency.

“With regard to widening the footpath, we have told the couple that they need to speak to social services to request an occupational therapist’s report to assess their needs. If the improvement works are deemed necessary then social services would instruct this work and MHA will help secure funding.”