Mr Blindman letter upsets blind man

A man was "devastated" after council contractors sent him a letter addressed to Mr Blindman, just months after he was registered as blind.

Paul Harris, of Wincolmlee, Hull, received the letter from Kier Building Maintenance informing him about modifications to his Hull City Council home.

Mr Harris wept as he described the moment he recieved the letter.

He said: "All of a sudden I got the mail and my son read out Mr Blindman. I'm just absolutely devastated. I expected to be called by my name, not Mr Blindman."

Kier have apologised to Mr Harris, who was registered as blind on November 11.

A spokesman for the firm said: "We sincerely apologise to Mr Harris for the distress caused by this error.

"The letter was part of a routine mail-out about Decent Homes work being carried out in his property."

Kier said details about his condition had been entered into the wrong column on the firm's database and that an investigation into the mistake was under way.

But Mr Harris said he would not accept the apology.

He said: "No apology will ever let me forgive them. I never want Kier in my house ever again," he said.

He added: "They drove me that up the wall I didn't know which way to turn."

Ann Massam, from Hull and East Riding Institute for the Blind, said she was shocked by the incident and spoke to Mr Harris after he got the letter.

Ms Massam said: "When he got the letter he was so upset. I just can't believe it could happen. We live in an age of political correctness. It would upset anybody who it happened to.

"I think they were just a bit too late with their apology," she said.