Major double glazing firm Europlas has said it will offer free safety checks on its products after a 78-year-old Newton Abbot man was trapped under a heavy patio door which unexpectedly fell on him.

Ken Lewis, a district councillor and retired Royal Navy instruction officer, ended up in difficulty at his Whitehill Close home around 9pm on August 24 when he went to open the 13-year-old door.

No sooner had he started to pull on the handle than the door crashed down on him. Unable to bear the weight Cllr Lewis fell to the ground, losing much of the skin on the back of his right hand in the process.

Living alone since his wife died two months ago, he was left shocked, hurt, and unable to get out from under the fallen door.

Luckily he managed to reach a nearby phone and made a desperate call for help to a friend who soon dashed round.

They discovered that part of the uPVC fittings which held the door in place had perished.

When Cllr Lewis called Europlas he was told the doors were no longer guaranteed and was given the name of an approved contractor to carry out the £160 repairs.

When the engineer arrived he surprised the injured pensioner by saying he was currently spending more time carrying out similar repairs than anything else.

Cllr Lewis was also led to believe that Europlas was replacing parts on similar doors which were still under similar doors which were still under guarantee before they failed.

He told the Advertiser: 'They angered me as they know the problem's there and have instructed repairers to replace them automatically on windows which are still under guarantee.

'They are not warning people.

'The first I knew about it was when I was lying under a great sheet of glass, at home and unable to do anything. I was really quite shocked and I remember thinking as I fell that I hope to hell the glass doesn't shatter.

'This is a ticking time bomb. I see absolutely nothing to prevent it happening to any other door of the same age.'

A spokesman for Europlas was 'very sorry' to hear about the incident and said safety was of 'paramount importance'.

'The style of tilt-and-glide patio door referred to by Mr Lewis in his complaint has not been fitted by Europlas for many years, replaced by the more popular in-line sliding door, and Mr Lewis' own door was itself well outside its ten-year guarantee period,' he said.

'Doors and windows require regular maintenance to ensure their continued safe operation.

'For this reason we always issue maintenance guidance to home owners at the time of their installation.

'Contrary to Mr Lewis' claims, we are not carrying out a tilt-and-glide patio doors replacement programme of those few remaining doors under guarantee.

'However, if any member of the public has a concern regarding their Europlas tilt-and-glide door we are happy to carry out a free safety check irrespective of whether that product is inside or outside its guarantee period.'

Call Europlas free on 0800 550330 for advice.