Bureaucratic red tape has temporarily strangled the use of the vital hyperbaric decompression chamber at the HOPE MS alternative therapy centre at Honeyborough, Neyland.

The vital piece of equipment, used to relieve the effects of multiple sclerosis, is out of commission as the centre's officials wade through piles of documentation to sort out the bureaucratic blockage.

Centre manager Rick Stanton said: "The chamber is fully operational and inspectors gave it a clean bill of health recently, but we can't use it because the legislators have moved the goalposts with regard to Care Standards regulations.

"We don't have the piece of paper that authorises its operation."

Mr Stanton said the Care Standards legislation originally referred to residential homes and other places with beds, and the centre was told it was exempt.

He added: "But the parameters were redrawn and we have now been told we need to get the necessary piece of paper and meanwhile the chamber can't be used."

"This has developed an awful lot of paperwork, but we are carrying on providing the other kinds of therapy HOPE offers and we will get the chamber up and running again as soon as possible."

"We have been here 20 years and we intend to be here for another 20 years," Mr Stanton added.