A LAND management company which charged a couple £1,400 to allow a ramp to be built outside their home has apologised and refunded some of the cash.

On Thursday, the Echo reported how 54-year-old Denise Summers, a multiple sclerosis sufferer, and her husband Frank, 55, had paid the whopping bill just to get permission to install a ramp at their bungalow in Marcus Chase, Thorpe Bay.

Their home, and many others in the area, is covered by a “restrictive covenant”, so an alteration licence had to be obtained from Pier Management, which controls the covenant, before any work could be done.

Now the company has backed down and allowed the couple to obtain the paperwork for £250 plus VAT.

The company, which is a subsidiary of Regis Group, has sent Mr Summers a cheque for £1,074 as a refund of money he had already paid.

In a letter to Mr Summers, a representative of the firm said: “Please accept our sincere apologies for the oversight in regards to how this matter has been handled.”

Mr Summers said the company’s decision had come as a “huge relief”.

He said: “It has taken a large weight off our shoulders.

“We’re both really pleased. It seems like the Echo article did the trick!

“I am still disappointed at the way they appear to have tried it on with us, but Denise is happy now as she was getting quite stressed by it all.

“The work will be really beneficial to us both, as it is quite a struggle to run around with the temporary ramp at the side of our home just to get Denise in and out.”

Burges Estate Residents’ Association chairman Ron Woodley, who has been campaigning against the high fees charged by Regis, thanked the Echo for its help in the Summers's case.

Mr Woodley said: “Because of your efforts some of the charges have been dropped and a cheque for £1,074 has been returned and a licence has been issued.

“Please, all leaseholders across Southend, take note and know your rights.”

Mr Summers, a retired construction manager, said the work, which includes moving a door from the side to the front of the property, should be done within the next week.