A CEREBRAL palsy sufferer who lives alone in a house she struggles to get around has appealed to Oxford City Council for a home suited to her needs.

Samantha Cox, who lives in a council flat in Field Avenue, Blackbird Leys, has been blighted by balance issues since babyhood and falls over most days.

The 36-year-old has spent the past six years petitioning the council for adaptations to be made to her flat so she can get around her own home safely, but to no avail.

Miss Cox was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, a neurological condition affecting movement and co-ordination, when she was just 18 months old.

She said: "It gives me difficulty with bathing and cooking for myself because I can only use one hand. When I was 12 I scalded myself down one side boiling the kettle.

"Some days I can't get out of bed; I have a railing there so I haul myself up. I have to try to find ways to open things one-handed."

For Miss Cox, who has never been able to work despite looking for jobs, every day is a struggle. Last year she fell and split her dress in Templars Square Shopping Centre, causing shoppers to assume she was drunk, and last week stumbled over trying to get past piled-up bikes left in the corridor of her block.

At her previous previous council flat in Hollow Way she kept a self-trained guide dog, Barney, but had to give him up as dogs were not allowed in the new premises.

She said: "I couldn't go out without him at first. I'm trying to go out with other people holding me now because my toes curl underneath my feet and I just go over."

Despite regular visits from her partner and family in Blackbird Leys, Miss Cox has asked for adaptations to be made to her home so she can be more independent.

She said: "I would like a walk-in shower with a seat and some railings. I'm walking around with a walker but I wobble on my left side and catch myself on doors, and there are no railings for me to hold onto. I've banged my head on the sink six times. It's a nightmare living here."

She added: "We have spoken to the council 16 or 17 times. They just say 'Go to the occupational therapist'. It makes me so angry I just want to sit and cry."

Following contact from the Oxford Mail, Oxford City Council sent members of its tenancy management team to Miss Cox's home for an assessment.

Spokesman Tom Jennings said: "We cannot comment on individual cases due to data protection. Significant adaptations to residents’ properties can only be carried out on the advice of the occupational therapist service at Oxfordshire County Council. If a tenant requires help to apply for an adaptation, the tenancy management team can assist."

County council spokeswoman Emily Reed said the county council could not comment on Miss Cox's case either but confirmed that the authority's teams would assess the needs of people "having difficulties managing their independence at home."

She added: "If people need major alterations to their home environment to keep them safe and independent (e.g. bathroom alterations, a stair lift or larger specialist equipment to help them move around safely) then these assessments will normally take place in the person's own home."