Paul and Debbie Picture Ref: 76845-17A DAD-OF-TWO reckons he is lucky to be alive after waiting nine weeks for a heart operation.

As reported in yesterday's Advertiser, Paul Lovegrove, 43, was told to keep stress-free after a heart attack in February.

Doctors in Bristol fearing a second more serious attack kept him at Great Western Hospital for observation.

Mr Lovegrove, of Wootton Bassett, thought he would be transferred to Bristol Royal Infirmary for an angioplasty an operation to expand blocked arteries within days.

He finally went under the knife on Tuesday, more than two months after the heart attack.

Speaking for the first time about his ordeal, Mr Lovegrove, who has two children with estranged wife, Debbie, revealed how he prepared for the worst.

"I was telling myself that I would be okay but at the back of the mind I was preparing myself for the worst," he said.

"I spoke to the missus and told her about the insurance policy.

"My eldest lad, Matt, 13, knew about the operation but we took the decision not to tell Tom, who is only seven.

"We told him I was in hospital for more tests. When came to visit me after the operation I asked the nurses to disconnect the tubes and wires because I didn't want him to worry."

The operation was a success but Mr Lovegrove remains angry.

"It really gets under my skin that I have waited nine weeks for what was a 75-minute operation," he said.

"It's a complete drain on the NHS and it needs sorting. I could have had it done privately for a fraction of the price."

Mrs Lovegrove, who lives near Lyneham with their children, said the family has gone through hell.

"I'm angry that this was allowed to happen," she said.

"It's absolutely diabolical. The doctors in Swindon couldn't let him go home because there was a risk that he'd suffer a massive heart attack.

"We all realise that not all operations can be carried out straight away but I'd have thought it would have been done in a couple of weeks maximum."

In a statement, Kate Birch, spokeswoman for Bristol Royal Infirmary, apologised to the family.

She said: "We know that any wait causes anxiety and discomfort and the wait is far longer than we would wish.

"The reason they are having to wait is the increasing pressure on the service."