THE devastated mother of a steel erector who fell 40ft as he worked on a new supermarket store today revealed he has only a 10 per cent chance of being able to walk again.

Jason Bruce, 30, of Anglesey Avenue, Burnley, was working in Middlesex at the site of a new Sainsbury's store in Waltham Abbey when he fell from a beam.

His mother Christine Margerison spoke about what the future will hold for Jason and her younger son Damian, 24, also of Anglesey Avenue, who also works in the steel erecting business.

Christine who is at the hospital in Middlesex said: "It is every mother's nightmare to be told that your son is in hospital in a serious condition.

"When I first saw Jason I though that was it -- that I would never see him again because he was in such a state.

"To be told that he only has a 10 per cent chance of walking again is heartbreaking but at least there is still some hope.

"We are trying to be optimistic about everything but we have told Damian that we want him to think about going into another career.

"Jason will probably never work again which is probably going to be one of the hardest things to deal with because he travels all over the country with his job and is very passionate about it."

Jason, who was working for Steel Craft, of Thirsk, was airlifted to Middlesex spinal unit where he had an operation on his spine. It was then that doctors found he had a damaged nerve.

Damian said: "My mum had asked me to stop working and find something else to do but it is not as easy as that because jobs are hard to come by and I enjoy what I do.

"The house that we live in is not going to be suitable for wheelchair access because the stairs are very steep.

"Mum is going to have to look at moving and finding somewhere that will accommodate a wheelchair."

The Health and Safety Executive is investigating the incident.

Mrs Margerison added: "The whole site had to be shut down but Jason is lucky to be alive and we thank God that he is still alive because things could have been so much worse."