A STRICKEN former miner had appointments for a medical cancelled three times, only to be told when it finally got under way, that the procedure would kill him.

Thomas Price, 74, who suffers from emphysema caused by coal dust and is pursuing a compensation claim for his illness, was turned back just minutes after arriving for the medical in Durham.

His family say he then almost blacked out through the exhaustion and distress. They have branded his treatment as "disgusting" and "appalling".

Mr Price, who worked at South Hetton pit for almost 40 years, requires daily oxygen to help him breathe because of his illness.

He had been told by his solicitors that he could not have a home visit for the Medical Assessment Procedure he was required to undergo, because he was not old enough.

Previous appointments for the medical had been cancelled because of staffing problems.

Mr Price's daughter, Christine Durham, said: "We spoke to a technician on the day who said the medical required would take an hour and a half and would kill my dad.

"The only thing they carried out on him was a test where he had to blow into a machine.

"Afterwards when we brought him home he was really poorly and having breathing difficulties.

"He was totally worn out and shattered by it all. The whole thing is a shambles."

Mr Price, who lives in Stanley, County Durham, faced further difficulties when he finally arrived for the medical, at the Redhills testing centre, because of the lack of disabled access for his wheelchair.

Ms Durham said: "The other day dad said he had nothing to live for.

"He should be benefiting financially now from what he has gone through because he is the one that is suffering."

A spokeswoman for the Department of Trade and Industry, who are overseeing the claims process, said that Mr Price had been advised wrongly that he could not receive a home visit.

She said: "We are really sorry for what this man and his family have been through.

"We will now be basing any assessment purely on Mr Price's medical records."

l This week The Northern Echo reported how the DTI was considering a pilot scheme which would seek medicals being abandoned for miners going through the compensation process