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Thousands of disabled people who have been assessed under new government rules as fit for work are having the decision overturned on appeal.

BBC Inside Out East has found that of the 146,200 appeals that have been heard to date, 56,500 (more than a third), have been upheld in favour of the claimant.

Atos, the company carrying out the tests, called the Work Capability Assessment (WCA), is being paid £​100m a year by the UK government.
Peter Reynolds from Linton in Cambridgeshire is one of thousands who believe they were wrongly assessed.

Two years ago he fell off a fork lift truck and is chronically ill.
He has problems with his lungs and his lymphatic system has stopped working.
He uses a wheelchair, needs constant care and has to wear a body suit all the time. He is in and out of hospital on a regular basis.
After his accident Mr Reynolds received sickness benefit but within weeks under new government rules he was asked to prove the extent of his illness.

'​Assessment flawed'​
He was assessed by Atos as being a suitable case to return to work.
He then went to the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) who organised a reassessment and he was evaluated as not fit for work.

His doctor has told him he will never work again. More