'It's a disgrace that my life has been wrecked'

Promising sportsman James Wollacott was left crippled after being struck by the hospital superbug MRSA.

The 20-year-old, who was once selected for trials to play rollerhockey for Great Britain, now faces arthritis in both legs after a routine knee operation.

The virus attached itself to titanium pins fitted during the reconstruction of his kneecap at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington.

The trainee electrician, from Hornchurch, Essex, said: "My future has been ruined. I can't walk more than a few hundred yards unaided. I may never play sport again and I'm having to rethink my career.

"It's a disgrace that my life has been wrecked by skimping on costs of hospital cleaners." Mr Wollacott was taken to hospital last May after an accident on a trampoline. An operation was followed by a fever. He is now clear of MRSA but he is a number of operations away from recovery.

He said: "If I can't play sport again I will be devastated."