A HOMELESS paraplegic who was living along the Oxford Canal has been temporarily rehoused.

Mark Payne has been living at Fewcott House Care Home, near Bicester, for almost a week. He said: “To me it’s better than Buckingham Palace.”

The Oxford Mail reported last Saturday that the 51-year-old was stuck in a tent in freezing temperatures at Wolvercote Lock, alongside the canal, after his wheelchair got a puncture.

Mr Payne, who says he lost the use of his legs from an explosion while serving in the forces, told us then: “I wish I was dead.”

Police officers previously had to talk him out of hanging himself.

However, police and Oxfordshire County Council’s social services department have now helped place him at Fewcott, though it is not known if he will be able to qualify for further support.

Mr Payne, who is paralysed from the waist down, said: “The staff here can’t do enough to help me. They have made me feel so welcome. I would stay here for the rest of my life if I could.

“I was so cold and I had had just a few minutes’ sleep in several days. To me it’s better than Buckingham Palace. I will never forget the staff here.

“The police officers saved my life. I was on the lock and I was going to hang myself.”

He said he was wary about some types of accommodation, such as shelters for the homeless, because of his incontinence.

He said: “A small flat would be nice, as long as I have got people who can help me wash and change. It would be like being reborn again. It doesn’t seem a lot but to me it would be the world.

“As homeless and disabled, you don’t exist in this country and that’s the hardest thing.”

Pc Stuart Robertson, of Cowley police station, said: “He could not have stayed in that tent in those temperatures for very much longer. He was really cold. He didn’t want to accept help.”

However, Mr Payne, from Devon, is concerned he will not qualify for social housing from Oxford City Council because he does not have links to the area. Council policy states those with a “local connection” get priority.

Spokesman Louisa Dean said: “Depending on his needs, the city council would need to work with Oxfordshire County Council to provide the best housing and care solution for him.”

County council spokesman Marcus Mabberley said: “The council will assess Mr Payne’s care needs and will liaise with the city about a way forward.”

Linda Flecknell, Oxfordshire county manager for the Royal British Legion, said: “It’s very sad that anyone should be homeless, especially as we approach the festive season. Should this gentlemen wish us to assist him, he would need to contact us directly.”