MADAM - I want to draw your attention to the plight of many disabled people in your area who face the misery of living in Victorian conditions.

Leonard Cheshire Disability has recently found that thousands of people across the country are being forced to wash at their kitchen sinks, sleep in their living rooms, or use commodes because their homes are not disabled-friendly.

This is simply unacceptable.

There is a severe lack of disabled-friendly housing in the UK.

One in ten people has a mobility problem, yet only five per cent of homes are built so that disabled people can visit with any degree of comfort, let alone live in them.

As more and more of us become disabled and we live longer, this hidden housing crisis is a time bomb for the future.

We want every council in the UK to make sure that all new homes are built so they are easy to adapt if people become disabled.

We also want 10 per cent of large developments to be fully wheelchair accessible to give disabled people the opportunity and support to live independently.

I urge your readers to sign our petition for more disabled-friendly homes and share their own experiences at leonardcheshire.org/hometruths.

Thank you for your support.

Andy Cole

Director of Corporate Affairs, Leonard Cheshire Disability