A HEARTBROKEN family have endured a year of hell during the Covid pandemic with a much-needed new bedroom for their wheelchair-bound son delayed.

The Shippey family, from Billericay, are waiting on building work on a bedroom for 13-year-old George to be completed, a year since it first began.

George, who lives with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a muscle disorder, can no longer walk and the room will be vital for his independence at home.

His mum and dad, Kerry and John, both caught Covid in November, with John then suffering from appendicitis in January.

He was hospitalised for a week, while George’s grandad lost his life to Covid in December, making the pandemic tough for the whole family.

Kerry, 49, revealed the delays to the bedroom work, which began in April last year, have taken their toll on the family.

She said: “It’s been really tough on us all.

“John is still waiting for an operation on his hernia, it’s been two years now. He struggles to lift George up and down the stairs.

“We’ve been imprisoned for a year. We’re living in a shell of a home at the moment.”

The new bedroom will replace the current kitchen, will feature hoists built into the beams, a specialist toilet and shower, a standing chair, a specialist bed and enough space for George to turn his electric wheelchair around.

The family fought for planning permission for more than two years.

They received a grant of £30,000 disability grant for the project, which will cost £150,000 in total.

Mrs Shippey added: “If it’s not done by the summer, I’m just going to cry.

“We had to wait seven months for windows to be delivered. Covid has just got in the way completely.

“When we had Covid, the builders couldn’t come for a while, and then they’ve had to self-isolate at other times too.

“We can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but we have no idea when the garden will be finished. We need it to be wheelchair friendly. We hope the inside and the bedroom will be finished in six weeks.”

The work was due to be completed by September last year.