A 32-STONE man says his life is being made hell because of cruel taunts over his spiralling weight.

Steven Pulford, 31, has severe mobility problems because of the impact haemophilia has had on his legs.

Unable to exercise properly, he has seen his weight balloon and believes gastric surgery is his only hope.

But he was left devastated this week when a longed-for operation for a gastric band was cancelled with just eight days' notice.

Mr Pulford, of Standen Hall Drive, Burnley, said: “I can’t go out without people staring and saying things.

“It’s not nice to hear a bunch of kids laughing at you, particularly when it's not because I over-eat.

“They see a big bloke and shout ‘who ate all the pies?’.

"But it’s just because of the way my medical condition has affected me.

“My mental state is so bad I have thought on many occasions of ending my own life, so as not to be a burden on my family and partner, who are having to look after me even more.”

Mr Pulford said he was diagnosed with the inherited blood disorder when he was 11 months old.

In haemophilia, the blood's ability to clot is severely reduced because an essential clotting factor within the blood is partly or completely missing, meaning people bleed for longer than normal.

Mr Pulford said he had suffered repeated bleeding around his ankles, knees and hip joints and often had to use a wheelchair because he is unable to walk very far.

He added that his weight had affected his work as a sound engineer and DJ.

He said: “My weight is shutting doors for me. People don't want a 32-stone man DJing in a big nightclub.

“I'm lucky at the moment that I'm working for a friend, but in terms of getting more work it's hard because of the way I look and my mobility issues.

“I'm in an extreme amount of pain, but what’s the alternative, sitting down and feeling sorry for myself?”

Mr Pulford said he had begged doctors for a gastric band to help him shift some of his weight.

A gastric band is a restrictive device placed around the upper part of the stomach to create a small pouch.

When this pouch is full, the brain receives a message that the entire stomach is full, so the person is hungry less often and eats smaller portions.

He said: “I've tried so many ways to lose weight over the past 10 years.

"I joined a gym, but I had to stop going because my legs were so bad.”

He said his request was backed by his GP, his haemophilia consultant and a gastric surgeon in May 2009.

Initially NHS East Lancashire said he should see a dietician but after they found nothing wrong with his diet the primary care trust agreed to fund the surgery, despite knowing about his haemophilia and the costs involved.

Then on Monday he was told the operation at the private BMI hospital in Cheadle had been cancelled.

He said: “They told me that due to extra costs concerning my haemophilia it was just too expensive to go ahead at the minute and I would have to go through a complaints service, and it had to be put before the board again.

“I know I can be well again with this operation but without it I can only see my health and quality of life going and my dignity too.

NHS East Lancashire said the decision would be reviewed.

A trust spokesman said: “We are sorry to learn of Mr Pulford’s situation and are investigating the issue.

“The PCT will be considering the request for funding at a clinically led review in line with our normal processes.”

The Lancashire Telegraph's medical expert Dr Tom Smith said he believed the operation would have been cancelled due to the risks involved.

Dr Tom, who said his brother-in-law is also a haemophiliac, said: “Gastric band surgery is not considered life-saving like cancer surgery, because there are other ways of controlling weight, so the anaesthetist would find it very difficult to agree to the operation.

“It's a lose-lose situation for the poor guy. It wouldn't be the expense, it would be the risk.”