A stroke victim has defied the experts and battled his way back to health.

Graham Miles was diagnosed with "locked-in" syndrome and was only able to move his eyes following a massive stroke in 1993.

However, the 66-year-old is now walking, talking and even taking part in motorsport.

Mr Miles, of Albert Road, Brighton, said he had used willpower to become one of only a handful of people in the world known to have regained the ability to walk after recovering from locked-in syndrome.

He said: "If you are totally focused, you've got sufficient drive, commitment and mental stamina, you can break down that barrier between the brain and the body that goes with total paralysis."

He said within weeks he was left to die by medical staff and tried to communicate his fears with his family using a spelling board.

He said: "The prognosis was either death or living death as a vegetable."

Mr Miles put his recovery down to using some of the extra capacity in the human brain, using different parts of his brain to those damaged by the stroke.

He now walks short distances with two sticks and has even started motor racing as a hobby.

Locked-in syndrome is typically caused by a lesion in the pons, the part of the brain stem that acts as a bridge between brain and body.