Normandy veteran Stanley Teale fought a war for his country - but he claims he is still unable to get an allowance from the Department of Social Security to buy himself a cooker.

Mr Teale, 80, has had a heart bypass operation and suffered strokes and heart attacks. He says he still suffers from angina.

In June he won an appeal against a refusal by the DSS to give him £120 from the Community Care Fund to buy a sofa. In doing so, the inspector pointed out that Mr Teale had serious health problems and should be a priority case.

But now Mr Teale, pictured, who is secretary of Bradford Pensioners' Action Group, is ready for a fresh battle after a gas engineer condemned his old-fashioned cooker as dangerous.

Lorraine Stacker, DSS customer service manager for Bradford and district, said they would look at Mr Teale's case again before September 10 if he gets in touch.

"I hope it can be settled amicably but we cannot discuss individual cases," she added.

But Bradford South MP Gerry Sutcliffe said he was taking up his case. He said: "I have great concerns about former servicemen and the problems they are facing in many respects."

Mr Teale, of Holme Wood Road, Holme Wood, Bradford, admitted today he had a microwave oven but said he had already broken it by using a steel-rimmed bowl because he did not know how to use it properly.

He added that he had served in Normandy 15 days after the landing and then taken part in the battle of Ruray where many servicemen met their deaths.

"I lost two brothers in the war, but it seems now that nobody cares. All I have is my attendance allowance of £52 and £72 a week pension. I have to pay for help out of my attendance allowance and I don't get an Army pension because I was only in for six years. If an inspector decided I was a high priority case in June I don't see how it changed," said Mr Teale, a widower.

Miss Stacker said the DSS received applications for grants totalling about £6,500 from the Community Care Fund each year but it had to balance need against the use of taxpayers' money.