'Unsuitable' home leaves disabled woman unable to shower after stroke

With the bathroom upstairs, Becca Murray has to wash and dress from her bed in a downstairs room

A disabled mother has not bathed or showered in four years due to the set-up of her home, her family has said.

Becca Murray, from Anstey, Leicestershire, suffered a major stroke weeks after giving birth to her son in 2017 and was left paralysed.

Ms Murray is stuck on the ground floor and said she feels like a "shell".

Charnwood Borough Council said it was "sympathetic" to her situation but added there were few suitable homes nearby.

Ms Murray said getting a more spacious, accessible home would help her get some freedom back.

"I have to wash and dress on my bed, and go toileting on my bed, so I have no privacy," she said.

"It's frustrating because you're looking at the same four walls every day."

Ms Murray gets out of bed via a machine that lifts her into a wheelchair

The 36-year-old has been unable to get upstairs to the bathroom since the stroke and said a wet room downstairs would make a huge difference.

"It would mean a lot to have that because it has not been great on my mental health. I feel trapped," she added.

"It's not just me. There's other people in my situation who need help too.

"I used to be very outgoing and bubbly. Now I feel like I'm just a shell."

The only way Ms Murray can get outside is through a door and ramp in her bedroom

Ms Murray can access two downstairs rooms in her current home, with a door and ramp installed so she can get outside.

Her partner, Wayne Downes, has had to give up work to care for her and their two children.

He said they had bid for up to 12 properties in the area but were rejected because the council said they could not be adapted.

"Becca's got no freedom," he said. "I don't know how she copes. Just going from room to room. She's got no independence.

"She hasn't had a shower for four years."

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Charnwood Borough Council said it was "working hard to find a solution".

"The availability of this type of accommodation is particularly limited," a council spokesman said.

"The council properties which have become available in that area cannot feasibly or practically be adapted for wheelchair use.

"We will continue to work with Ms Murray and her family to make bids for properties and we will actively identify suitable properties, or properties which have the potential to become adapted."