An 84-year-old man took a fall when his heavy front door swung back on him – despite having raised concerns to his housing association weeks earlier.

Peter Batchellier injured his back and damaged a rib as he fell while he tried to leave his apartment at John Kallie Court in Cowley three weeks ago.

That was despite the pensioner raising concerns to the Oxford Mail that he could not leave his apartment block because the door was too heavy to access by himself.

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At the time, housing association GreenSquareAccord said it was working to replace the door “as soon as we can” with one that opens automatically

However, Mr Batchellier said: “I have heard nothing from Green Square or the council or anything since it was reported in the Oxford Mail.”

The door operates using a button from the inside and a key-fob from the outside.

Mr Batchellier, who has lived in the apartment block since 1994, has complained for years that it is too heavy to use.

However, it was only after he suffered a fall two years ago that he started having serious problems.

It left him with an injured left arm, and he also now uses a walking stick and stroller.

The recent fall came as he tried to test whether he could make it outside.

He said: “I was just seeing if maybe I could make it, but my left arm and shoulder doesn’t seem to be getting any stronger.

“I got it open and it was pushing me backwards and then I lost my balance and then I went down. I hurt my back and damaged a rib.”

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Despite his injuries, Mr Batchellier was not taken to hospital and instead was helped to his feet by a neighbour.

He said: “My neighbour got me up and I just went inside and sat quietly for a couple of hours and then went to bed.”

Oxford Mail: Peter Batchellier injured his back and damaged a rib as he fell while he tried to leave his

Since his fall, he has not tried to open the door again.

He said he feels depressed as he is stuck in his apartment. 

He said: “I only try and go out if someone is coming in. Then I will hold the button and let them come in and then they will hold the door open for me.

“I feel depressed and fed up. I’m here on my own most of the time unless the carers come. I just sit here looking at nothing.”

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A spokesman for GreenSquareAccord said: “We are sorry to hear that Mr Batchellier is continuing to experience difficulties in his home and recently had a fall.

“We are working in partnership with Oxford City Council to install a new automatic door-opening system at the communal entrance of the flat block and all customers will be issued with a fob to allow easy access.

“We are working to get this installed as soon as we can and will keep all our customers informed on our progress.

“We are keeping in touch with all impacted customers at John Kallie Court and are committed to working with Mr Batchellier and his family to resolve all of the issues they are facing.”