A FREAK accident in the garden has led to a "terrible" year for Len Justice... and the loss of a second leg.

Almost a year after cutting his foot on a piece of bamboo, the 63-year-old from Merley has had a second leg amputated after contracting blood poisoning.

As the infection spread through his body, surgeons removed his left leg and the toes on the other foot one by one but the septicaemia reached such severity that on Saturday, July 1, he underwent his seventh operation the amputation of his right leg.

His lengthy stays at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital (sometimes for months at a time) have seen an end to the family's bed and breakfast business in Sopwith Crescent.

Until recently his wife Margaret spent hours each day bussing in to see him.

Now, with the reduction of the local bus service, she relies on taxis. But, at a cost of £40 per week, that's having a considerable drain on their finances.

"It has been terrible," Mrs Justice said. "Len has lost seven stone and I've lost a lot of weight through worry.

"I just wish everything would turn out normal so he could come home.

"It has been the worst year of our lives. It's not fair that a good man like Len should have to go through all of this.

"It is incredible that such a small accident could lead to all this.

"We're having to dip into our savings. When Len finally comes home for good we'll be living off thin air."