A PENSIONER suffering from Alzheimer’s has been left ‘struggling to get in and out of his home’ because his disabled access ramp floods every time it rains.

Ted Suligowski, 89, moved into his daughter’s house in Exeter Street, Blackburn, last August and is now looked after full-time by son-in-law Martin Richman.

Dad-of-two Mr Richman, 50, applied for a £13,000 grant from the Lancashire Centre For Independent Living for the ramp to be built outside the property because Mr Suligowski was ‘struggling’ to climb the stairs.

Blackburn with Darwen Council carried out the work at the start of the year after the grant was approved.

However, Mr Richman, who is married to Mr Suligowski’s daughter Angela, 53, discovered to his ‘horror’ that the ramp flooded and became ‘impassable’ where it met the road when it rains.

Twin Valley Homes, which maintain part of Exeter Street, has pledged to carry out work to attempt to solve the problem, including clearing blocked gullies in the road.

Mr Richman said: “My father-in-law struggles to get in and out of the house whenever it has rained and I’m forced to help him down the steps which is dangerous for him.

”This has been an issue for a while now and I’m disappointed that it has taken so long for someone to say that something will be done.

“The ramp was installed to make his life easier but it just becomes impassable when it rains so it’s pointless.

“I don’t think that unblocking gullies will solve the problem. They are in the wrong place to affect our ramp.”

Ian Bell, head of Twin Valley Homes, said: “We inspected the street on Wednesday and we’re arranging for four blocked gullies to be cleared of leaves and other debris, which should make a big difference to the drainage of rainwater away from properties.”