A KNUTSFORD man, who lost both legs in an horrific car crash that left him badly scarred, is learning to walk again.

Matthew Warnes took a few more tentative steps at Withington Hospital last week.

"I've always said that I'd walk my bride up the aisle and I'm still determined to do that," he said.

Pain

"I've set myself lots of goals since the accident and I've reached them all."

On Thursday the 27-year-old forgot the 'excruciating' pain of his prosthetic legs to show mum Rosemary and girlfriend Michelle Stollin his new moves.

"The pain is unbelievable sometimes," said Matthew. "But the happiness I feel from walking again just blocks it out.

"I can't begin to describe how good it feels to walk those few steps around the room." Matthew, who suffered 65% third degree burns in the horrific accident on the A556 five years ago, can now walk slowly with crutches.

During Thursday's visit to the hospital's artificial limbs rehabilitation unit, physiotherapists agreed to lengthen his false legs by two centimetres.

With the legs Matthew now stands at 5ft 6, but doctors hope to get him up to 5ft 10 - five inches shorter than he was before the accident.

"The longer they are, the harder it is for Matthew to walk because it puts more pressure on his thighs," said his mum. "But he wants it all now. He'd run a marathon tomorrow if he got his way.

"The doctors warn him to be cautious but Matthew just wants to get on with it - and to see how far he has come is just overwhelming."

Over the past five years Matthew, who lives in Hallside Park, Knutsford, has defied doctors' advice many times.

First they gave him just hours to live.

But within three months he was out of intensive care.

Then consultants said he would never be able to sit up in a chair.

Within a year Matthew, who is raising money to open Britain's first burns rehabilitation unit, was sitting in a wheelchair at a fund-raising event with family and friends.

And in October doctors told him that he would never walk again.

"Every time they've told me I won't do something, I've done it," he said. "They don't know me or understand how determined I am.

"I want to walk again and I will. It's that simple."

Mrs Warnes said her son had shown his determination to get better from the moment he regained consciousness.

"He has always looked into the future, even though doctors warned him it could do more harm than good," she said.

"But Matthew says he needs a goal - something worth going through all this for.

"And so far his philosophy has worked very well."