A 96-year-old World War II hero has been left housebound for ten months after his housing trust failed to provide a shelter for a mobility scooter he was bought for Christmas.

George Johnson, who fought in the Battle of Dunkirk and defended Coventry from the blitz, contacted Raven Housing Trust last Christmas after receiving a mobility scooter from his family.

After ten months of sporadic home visits and neighbour consultations he is still in the dark as to whether or not the trust, which manages his housing on Cedars Road, Banstead, will build the shelter.

Only able to walk a few hundred yards on his two walking sticks, Mr Johnson has been rendered totally housebound, other than on Wednesday mornings when adult social care services take him to the local shops.

Surrey Comet:

Mr Johnson, who also served in North Africa in 1939, said: "I’m stuck in my house and I’m desperate to get out. I get so bored I’m climbing the walls.

"If they just refused it wouldn’t be as bad as this. I just hate being left in the dark.

"I think they reckon I’m going to go away but I’m not going to stop fighting them.

"Everyone keeps telling me because I served this country in the war I deserve to be treated with more respect."

After being contacted by this newspaper Raven Housing Trust has offered an apology, promised to speed up the assessment process, and made available a shelter 100 metres from Mr Johnson’s home, although he believes this is too far.

It also needs an electric door to be fitted for Mr Johnson to access it properly.

A spokesman at the trust, said: "There’s no excuse for taking such a long time to respond conclusively to Mr Johnson.

"Regarding building a new shelter we’ve promised to conclude a health and safety assessment and resident consultation with seven days.

"An internal review of how we conducted this enquiry will be held immediately."

Should war heroes like Mr Johnson be shown more respect? Comment below or get in touch at ben.weich@london.newsquest.co.uk