A MAN who suffers from memory loss says he must live on the seafront or he will never find his way home.

David Lazarus was due to move out of his flat in Marine Parade, Kemp Town, Brighton, yesterday because his landlord wants to sell it.

Brighton and Hove Council has offered him a new flat at the top of a tower block in St James's Street.

But Mr Lazarus says it is unsuitable because he can only find his way home by heading for the seafront.

He says he will end up living on the streets if the council tries to house him elsewhere.

A cycling accident eight years ago left the 36-year-old unconscious for three days and he has since been registered disabled. Doctors first believed he was suffering from post-traumatic stress but later diagnosed five forms of amnesia, or loss of memory.

He says he has lost six years of his life and now uses a vast filing system to regulate his daily routines.

He has difficulty crossing the road, remembering who people are and finding his way about.

Mr Lazarus said: "I get lost because I can't find my way home very easily so I have to restrict myself to areas that I know. It can take me years to remember somewhere new.

"If I get lost at the moment I just go to the seafront and keep walking until I find my house, but if they put me somewhere new I will have to walk up and down every street until I find it."

"All my belongings are going into storage and I am going to live on the streets because the council cannot house me safely.

"It's dangerous for me to be on the streets because I can't always remember how to cross roads and I've had a few near misses."

He added: "The council suggested I carry a map, but if I have amnesia I won't always remember to carry the map with me."

A council spokesman said: "The problem is we cannot find a property along the seafront, which is what he feels he needs.

"We have tried the private rented sector and council properties but we cannot find anything. The nearest we could get was this property in the high-rise, which is near the seafront."

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