A DOUBLE amputee who relies on her electric scooter to go about her day-to-day life has been told her NHS-funded lifeline will be taken away from her.

Daralyn Siequien, 63, lives at the Edensor nursing home in Orwell Street, Clacton.

She has lived there for the past year after her previous care home, Carnarvon Care Home, closed down.

Miss Siequien has mobility problems after having to have both legs amputated.

She lost one leg when she was 11 years old when she was involved in a car accident when she came off her bike.

She lost her other leg about three years ago when her leg was damaged and became ulcerated due to her diabetes and it had to be removed.

Miss Siequien also suffers from epilepsy and has a stoma bag.

She says she relies on having an NHS-funded electric scooter to help her out of the house.

But Miss Siequien has now been told her scooter will be taken away from her.

When she applied for Personal Independence Payment about a year ago, she was told because she was in a hospital environment - a nursing home - her scooter would not be needed and will be taken away from her next month.

Her sister Lesley Massarella, 60, said: “We try to take her out and she loves it when we can.

“We take her into town and it’s great because it’s near to where she lives.

“Daralyn loves to be outside but she needs be in the scooter from first thing when she wakes up until the last thing at night.

“The electric scooter is the only way she is able to get about.

“Because she’s been on personal independent payment she’s in this home, they’ve stopped her account and her payment.

“She needs to do these thing and it’s like they’re taking away her freedom.”

A Department of Work and Pensions spokesman said the PIP ends 28 days after someone enters hospital care, as the NHS is responsible for the entire costs of a patient’s stay.

However, a spokesman for Motability, which provides the wheelchair, said: “Although Motability works closely with the Department for Work and Pensions on issues related to the Motability Scheme, Motability has never had any role in determining who should receive DLA or PIP.

“Those policies and decisions are solely the responsibility of the Department of Work and Pension.

“Should the Department for Work and Pensions decide to end a customer’s allowance, we will make contact with the customer to arrange for return of the vehicle, as the scheme is only able to supply cars or scooters to those in receipt of a qualifying allowance.

“Having had Ms Siequien’s position brought to our attention, in this instance, we will look into the situation to see if there are any exceptional circumstances which would enable us to provide further support.”