A MAN who has not worked for two years since he almost lost his arm in an accident has claimed he has been left penniless after his benefits were stopped.

Steven Webster was receiving disability living allowance and incapacity benefit worth £177 a fortnight after suffering injuries to his arm in an accident at work.

He has undergone skin grafts and his arm is still heavily scarred and weak. But a recent assessment said he did not score enough points to qualify. Steven, 38, said: "That money was all I got. I have no other income and I lived on that money.

"Now I am reduced to applying for a crisis loan from Blackburn with Darwen Council. It is very humiliating."

Steven, who lives at Mayfield Flats, Bolton Road, Darwen, almost lost his arm when he was dragged into a bailing machine while at Horizon Foams, Darwen, in February 1999. He severed tendons in his arm and needed skin grafts to patch up his wounds.

"I don't think my arm will ever be back to anything like it was," said Steven. "I can't see myself ever working again. I am still receiving medical treatment for my injuries and I still get pain in it."

The decision by the Benefits Agency was based on a points system. To qualify for disability living allowance and incapacity benefit the claimant must score 15 points. Steven got only 12. He found out about the stoppage last week.

Points are scored in a number of tests, including sitting down, rising from a chair, bending and kneeling, standing up, walking, going up and down stairs, reaching, lifting, vision, speech, hearing, interaction with other people, remaining conscious and manual dexterity in exercises such as turning on a tap. A GP's report is also supplied to the Benefits Agency when assessing a claim and if the claimant disagrees with what the doctor has said then a full report must be supplied. Now Steven has to wait for an application for Jobseeker's Allowance to be processed, which could take another two weeks. leaving him to scratch about on nothing.

"I have no family in Darwen and there is not much chance of getting a job in the next two weeks so I don't know how I will survive. I have applied for a crisis loan but I am not sure if that will cover basic expenditure," said Steven.

"Even if I get the full Jobseeker's Allowance claim of £108 a fortnight, I will barely have enough to survive. This decision has ruined my life."

A spokesman for the Benefits Agency said it was policy not to comment on individual cases. But he said people with arm injuries were not just expected to use their other arm at work, as their injuries could effect other areas of the body.

Steven's GP, Dr John Bidwell, of Darwen Health Clinic, would also not comment on the grounds of patient confidentiality.