A woman with disabilities is back on the road after a three-month benefits red-tape nightmare.

Anne Woods, whose plight was featured in the Telegraph & Argus, had been stranded at her Dudley Hill home since February 10 while waiting to collect her new automatic car.

But because of a mix-up over the dates of her three-year Disability Living Allowance award from the Benefits Agency, she was being asked to pay an extra £600 before she could drive away her new Volkswagen Polo.

The black Y-reg vehicle has now been delivered to her door after the paperwork was finally sorted out.

"It's fantastic and I'm so glad I don't have to sit looking at these four walls anymore,'' said Mrs Woods.

"We've been out and taken our daughter Abigail to school, done the shopping and had a drive around. I have to keep looking out of the window to check it's still there - it's not sunk in yet.''

And today the Benefits Agency has promised to return her last 12 weeks' payments - of about £150 a month - for a car she didn't have.

A Benefits Agency spokesman said: "We can't talk about individual cases but any payments made in error will be returned to Mrs Woods.''

The 43-year-old - who has had six hip operations in the past ten years after being born with a dislocated hip - has qualified for DLA for the past nine years.

She can't walk unaided and can only manage about ten metres with the help of sticks. The DLA award includes a high-rate mobility payment entitling her to a lease car from the charity Motability.

But because she was re-assessed in December - two months earlier than expected - she was being asked to make up the shortfall.

She returned her last lease car on February 10 and she had expected to drive away her new one which was sitting on the garage's forecourt.

The couple depend on a car to get around, do the shopping and take their five-year-old daughter to school a mile and a half away.

Husband Gerard, 48, who gave up his job as an engineer to be her full-time carer, said: "It has been an absolute nightmare and we hope that once we get the money back this will be the end of it.

"We've had help getting Abigail to St Columba's School and would like to thank Derek and Eunice Huby and Irene Holland from the St Vincent de Paul Society for all their support.''

Bradford South MP Gerry Sutcliffe also stepped in to help out.

"I'm glad it's been sorted out,'' he said. "People like Mrs Woods shouldn't be put under stress like this.

"Because of the sheer amount of paperwork the Benefits Agency has to deal with there's a lack of personal involvement and because of rules and regulations unfortunately there are cases like this.''

A spokesman for Motability said: "We are pleased Mrs Woods is able to obtain a car through our scheme and we're happy the situation with the Benefits Agency has been sorted out.''