SOCIAL services chiefs in Southampton will not explain why it took them more than 24 hours to help a seriously overweight woman who spent three days stuck on her living room floor.

The authority said it would not discuss the issue in public because it would breach the lady's right to confidentiality.

As reported in the Daily Echo yesterday, Joan Voke, who weighs 30 stone, had to be cut free from her home in Ampthill Road in Shirley by firefighters and paramedics in a three-hour operation.

Joan, 63, who suffers from severe ulcers on her legs, spent more than 72 hours on a mattress on the floor after falling from a chair which paramedics and firefighters had earlier helped her into.

Although her husband, Douglas, later called the emergency services a second time to seek help moving her, he was then told they would not come out again because it was not a medical emergency.

Mr Voke said the following day he then called social services for help, but despite promising to get back to him within the hour, they never returned his call.

In fact it was only after Mr Voke called the Daily Echo that social services swung into action.

Last night Mr Voke, 68, said his wife was still seriously ill and faced a lengthy stay in hospital as doctors ran numerous health tests and monitored the condition of her heart.

"I'm really scared for her," he said.

"The doctors have not given me a prognosis for her but are running lots of tests and her heart is continually racing," he added.

Mr Voke said that when he arrived home from visiting his wife last night, messages had been left on his phone from social services but he was unable to return their call to discuss Joan's case with them.

When questioned about the couple's plight, a spokesperson for Southampton City Council said: "We are unable to comment on individual cases due to client confidentiality, as laid out in law.

"Our responsibility with all the people we work with is to make an assessment of their individual situation.

"If an assessment shows that there is critical or substantial risk to someone's health or wellbeing we provide support to reduce the risk if it is within our remit."

Mr Voke said that he would be trying the authority again later today for an explanation.