A council has apologised for forgetting to cut the grass after a disabled man tumbled down a small flight of steps.

Graham Webb, 52, is currently being treated at Eastbourne General Hospital after falling down the steps outside his council flat in Seaford.

Mr Webb, who already needed a walking stick to get around after a previous accident left him with severe back injuries, hurt his back and knocked his head. He fears the latest tumble may leave him wheelchair bound.

The former cleaner claims the long grass surrounding the steps obscured his view, causing the fall.

Mr Webb's wife Mary, 46, was in the shower when her husband fell but was alerted to the incident by a neighbour who rushed to his aid.

She said: "We carried him into the flat and called the ambulance. He seemed almost delirious after knocking his head and it was very upsetting.

"When paramedics arrived they put a neck restraint on him and lay him on a stretcher. He has not got up since. He is in terrible pain and is on morphine."

The accident happened outside the couple's home in Barn Rise at about 11am on Tuesday.

The grass had not been cut because the council forgot to include the address in a tender document issued to contractors.

A spokeswoman for Lewes District Council said: "The contract for grass cutting was recently put out to tender. During that process, two addresses in Barn Rise were missed off the original tender document, which meant the grass was not cut.

"They were later added to the document and contractors have assured us they will be cutting the grass any day now.

"We are very sorry this happened through an error on our part. We will endeavour to get the grass cut as quickly as possible."

Mrs Webb said she has been asking the council to cut the grass for about three months.

Mr Webb's first back injury occurred in August last year when a car park barrier came down on his van. He has been unable to work since.

A hospital spokesman yesterday described his condition as "stable".