A SEVERELY disabled woman has demanded action after a funding blunder means she is a virtual prisoner in her home.

Tina Durkin, 46, who was left paralysed from the neck down two years ago after a spinal illness, cannot fit a specialised wheelchair through the doors of her bungalow.

Following her paralysis she is still waiting for her disabled facilities grant to of up to £60,000 to be approved, which would pay for a series of vital home impro-vements to be made.

They include: Widening doors.

A ceiling hoist to help her from her bed.

A fully-accessible wetroom bathroom.

Miss Durkin said she was desperate for a breakthrough and the delay had been a ‘nightmare’ for her.

Recently when she suffered an epileptic fit at her home in Zion Street, Bacup, paramedics couldn’t even get a stretcher into her bungalow.

She has the support of Rossendale Council, which has ringfenced £30,000 for improvements.

But the cash cannot be freed until Lancashire County Council progresses her application, which would be worth another £30,000.

She applied for the grant in 2010.

An Irwell ward Labour councillor in 2007-8, Tina also suffers from multiple sclerosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cerebral palsy.

She cannot feed or clean herself and relies on voice recognition technology for basic tasks like using the phone and answering the door.

She said: “I desperately need a ceiling tracker hoist, a wet room and access in and out of my home. I only have access at the front door because my uncle made me a temporary ramp.

“My application seems to get to a certain stage then hit a brick wall. My situation has changed since my last application and I just want to sort out my priorities.”

Tina only receives seven-and-a-half hours care per day despite being promised 18 after she spent 10 weeks in Rochdale Infirmary in 2010.

Without a hoist, it is almost impossible for a lone carer to lift her out of bed.

Rebecca Lawlor, health and housing manager at Rossendale Borough council, said something had ‘gone amiss’ in Tina’s case.

She said: “It should take six to nine months on average.

“I believe the delay has come from approval of the top-up funding from Lancashire County Council.”

A spokesman for the county council said: "While we are unable to give detailed comments on individual cases, but we can confirm that we are aware of Ms Durkin’s circumstances.”