A DISABLED man who was fit enough to leave hospital three months ago is still there — because a suitable home cannot be found for him.

Darren Lancaster, who lost his left leg when he was just 14, underwent major surgery in November last year to amputate his other leg and is now fit enough to move into a flat.

Despite registering with the Homes for Bolton service four months ago, no suitable accommodation has been found. Mr Lancaster, aged 39, needs wheelchair access and a wet room as he cannot use a bath.

Homes for Bolton, a partnership of eight landlords including Bolton at Home, helps match people with properties.

The part-time radio operator for a Horwich private hire firm said he wanted to get back to work and spend time with his friends and family after nearly four months in Chorley Hospital.

“I am taking up a bed that a sick person may need. I don’t need to be here but I don’t have anywhere to go,”

he said. Mr Lancaster was badly burned in a fire at his Horwich home when he was a baby, leading to dozens of operations.

In 1986, while a pupil at Rivington and Blackrod High School, Mr Lancaster had to have his left leg amputated.

Many operations followed and, at the end of last year, he was admitted to Chorley Hospital and transferred to Preston Royal Infirmary to have his right leg amputated.

He then returned to Chorley to recuperate.

Prior to being admitted to hospital, the divorced father of three had been living with a friend but he now wants independence.

He said: “I will have to learn to walk again on my two false legs but I just want to get on with my life in my own home.”

A spokeswoman for Bolton at Home said Mr Lancaster was a priority case. She added: “We are liaising with him and his occupational health worker to confirm his exact requirements to see whether we can identify any available properties that meet his needs.

“If adaptations are required, then we will ensure that these are carried out at the earliest opportunity.

“We will also see if any interim arrangements can be made to help support his release from hospital.”