A 96-YEAR-old man who waited for more than two months for his housing association to provide him with a handrail has been forced to take matters into his own hands, by building his own!

Ernie Bray was told by Sanctuary Hereward that he would be provided with a handrail for his home, in The Crescent, Soham, as he was unable to get down his path unassisted and was stuck indoors unless someone was present to help him.

But, more than two months on, the nonagenarian has been told builders are still waiting for “a part” they need to fit the rail and he has been left housebound for weeks on end.

Mr Bray, who served with the Royal Suffolk Regiment in the Second World War, said: “My father was a carpenter and I think he would be proud of what I’ve made but I shouldn’t have had to do it, I’m 96-years-old.

“I have been told several times that they are waiting for a part before they can come and put up the rail but there has been no sign of it now for more than two months. I don’t think they have been fair to me, I haven’t done anything wrong.

“I’m certainly not special but I do think they should have been able to help me out.”

Ernie, who has lived in Soham for eight years, built the make-shift rail in his living room using bits of old wood from his back garden.

A representative from Sanctuary Hereward contacted Ernie on Thursday (December 20) and told him that he would have to wait at least another 14 weeks before they would be able to fit the rail.