A PARALYSED woman says she has not been able to bath or shower for three years because housing bosses won’t give her a suitable home.

Agnes McLellan was left wheelchair bound after suffering two strokes – the first in 2015, followed by another in 2016.

The mother-of-five has been left “a prisoner in her own home” after appealing to housing chiefs at North Ayrshire Council to move her from her private let two-storey home in Livingston Terrace, to a bungalow or single-story home.

Agnes, 49, has been forced to use a commode permanently and says she feels constantly depressed.

She said: “It’s terrible I have to live like this in this day and age. I can’t get up stairs so I haven’t been able to use my bath or shower in three years. I can’t use the toilet either. I use a commode.

“The only time I get to use a toilet is when I go to the bingo once a fortnight. It is a complete luxury.

“I feel down and depressed all the time. It’s no way to live.”

Agnes says she has been on the housing register for years and was relieved in September last year when, finally, housing officers came out to assess her and promised to help.

Close family friend Gordon Poole, 57, said: “They promised she would be in a new property by Christmas, but it’s not February and that hasn’t happened.

“She is literally a prisoner in her own home. I have known Agnes for years and to see her go from an active busy person and be reduced to this is heartbreaking. We just need someone to listen and help her.”

However a spokesman for North Ayrshire Council said Agnes’ needs are very specific and there are few houses of the type she needs.

He said: “We generally don’t like to go into the specifics as these cases are usually very sensitive and often quite complex.

“What we can say is that we are aware of the difficulties the resident has but unfortunately the availability of the type of accommodation she requires is limited and rarely becomes available for let. All housing applicants are assessed on an individual basis and awarded points depending on their specific needs. This ensures that those with the greatest housing need are given priority for council properties.

“We would never give a definite timescale as there are a number of variables – including the availability of suitable accommodation and the demand from other applicants – that can have an impact.

“We will contact the resident and offer to review her housing preferences in an effort to improve her chances of a suitable offer of housing.”