A man from Croxley Green wants to change the law in Great Britain, so he can die with dignity in his own home.

Chris Handley, 55, from Links Way, has lived with a degenerative disease for 15 years.

He said: “I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) when I was 40, 15 years later my hip muscles have gone and I'm in a fully electric wheelchair at a cost of £4,500.”

“My carers get me out at half nine, I sit in this café and then I'm back in bed by two. That's my life.”

Euthanasia is illegal in the United Kingdom, but not in some European countries like Belgium and the Netherlands.

The MS Society supports and cares for people with MS, offering many enabling and palliative services.

Jenna Litchfield, spokeswoman for the MS Society, said: “The MS Society has a neutral stance on assisted suicide. We have argued for more resources for palliative care and better training for health and social care professionals when caring for someone nearing the end of their life.

“There is a big difference between someone with MS deciding they no longer want to live, having explored all care options, and someone wishing to die because they aren’t being offered the right support.”

Doctors in Switzerland are not prosecuted for assisting suicide. Earlier this year Debbie Purdy gained legal clarification on her husband assisting her trip to the Dignitas clinic.

A motor mechanic, Mr Handley ran his own business for 14 years. He has a wife, two brothers and a sister.

Handley said: “They don't want to be a part of it. They can see the sense in it, but there's no right time to go is there? I haven't got anyone to take me and I want to end my life here anyway.

“I've had a good life really, have been to lots of places, driven lots of cars and motorbikes. I've got three lovely kids and three lovely grandkids. No one will gain financially and I'll be in control of what I do, so why not?”

Ms Litchfield added: “There is still a long way to go before the palliative care offered to people with MS is the best it can be.

“The right care and support can make a huge difference to those who may think that life is not worth living.”

Telephone the MS Society on 0808 800 8000, or visit www.mssociety.org.uk for more information on accessing palliative care and independent living.