A MAN with worsening Multiple Sclerosis disease says he is set to lose his mobility car after eight years - eventually putting him under 'house arrest'.

Peter Danyluk, 61, said that when he was first given a Motability car under the old Disability Living Allowance, his condition was not as bad as it is now. For example, he could still walk enough not to require a wheelchair.

He said that while he still managed to get about his bungalow using rails, he now had to use a wheelchair and the car to get anywhere outside the property in Cockret Road, off Charles Street in Selby.

Despite this, an assessment under the new Personal Independence Payment (PIP) scheme had concluded he no longer needed the funding for the car, and he was set to hand it back on May 10.

He said he had been informed he was likely to receive a £2,000 payment to help tide him over the next six months, for example by using taxis, but if he lost an appeal which he was lodging he would eventually be stranded in his own home.

"I won't be able to get anywhere," he said. "Never mind housebound - it will feel like I'm under house arrest!

"I use the car at the moment to get to the shops. I take my wheelchair in there and use it to get in the shop.

"I live on my own and won't be able to get to the shops any more. I don't know what I will do - I think I'll have to rely on my neighbours to help do my shopping.

"I worked all my life from when I was 16, as a bus driver and taxi driver, and as a health care assistant, until I was too ill to work any more and this is what happens. I think it's all about the Government trying to save money on the Motability scheme. I think they want to get rid of it in the long run because they think its costing too much."

He stressed that he had received invaluable help from Selby CAB, despite the organisation itself losing its funding. "If it hadn't been for their help and support, I wouldn't have known where to turn," he said.

Mr Danyluk contacted The Press to speak about his plight after the newspaper reported how a York father of two with an agonising back condition had lost his Motability car under the new PIP, which he said was making him housebound.

A DWP spokeswoman said: “Decisions on eligibility for Personal Independence Payment are made after consideration of all the evidence, including an assessment and information provided by the claimant and their GP. At any point in the process an individual can submit further evidence to support their case.

“The majority of people leaving the Motability scheme will be eligible for a one-off payment of £2,000, which will help ensure their mobility needs continue to be met.”