A PENSIONER waiting for heart surgery which could prolong his life fears he may die before it is carried out after spending 11 weeks in hospital.

Cyril Rainford, 72, of Walton Lane, Nelson, said he felt left in the dark after being allowed home with no knowledge of when he might get the surgery to replace a heart valve.

The father of four is diabetic and has suffered five major heart attacks since 1979.

He is waiting for a heart valve replacement operation and said he was told that without it he is likely to die within months.

Today hospital bosses said Mr Rainford had been waiting so long because they were so busy.

Mr Rainford, who had a quadruple heart bypass in 1996, said he had been told there may be only a small chance the next operation would be succesful but he wanted it to go ahead because his quality of life was so poor.

He suffers chest pains and is unable even to walk down the steps into his garden.

The grandfather of 11 was admitted to Burnley General Hospital on February 13 after collapsing at home.

After five weeks he was transferred to Blackpool Victoria Hospital, which has a specialist unit for patients with heart problems, where he believed surgery would be carried out to replace the valve.

He spent six weeks in Blackpool having tests and scans and believing the surgery was imminent before being allowed to go home after a partial recovery and told to return on Monday this week.

Mr Rainford said he had confirmed a bed was available and packed his bags before receiving a call on Monday afternoon telling him he would have to wait and that the hospital would call him back in a few days. He said: "All I want is to get in there, have the operation and get out. It's not a lot to be asking and the operation could put years on my life.

"Without it I probably don't have very long."

His wife Marie, 57, said: "The waiting is the worst thing. He's in pain and his quality of life is very bad. It's very upsetting."

A spokesman for Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Trust said: "Due to the complexity of Mr Rainford's case a number of investigations had to be carried out before he could undergo surgery.

"Because of this, and due to the pressure Blackpool Victoria Hospital was under at the time, Mr Rainford's stay in hospital was longer than expected.

"We are currently reviewing Mr Rainford's case and will be contacting him as soon as possible." A spokesman for Burnley General Hospital confirmed Mr Rainford had been admitted on February 13 and transferred to Blackpool five weeks later.