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A man is suing an NHS hospital over a botched hernia operation which resulted in his guts exploding “like a volcano”.

Dennis Stacey, 69, underwent the routine op in 2008 but said his stomach became infected and swelled as he lay in bed one night.

The High Court heard that it eventually burst and showered the walls and carpet of his bedroom with blood and the contents of his bowels.

The mess was so bad that an ambulance crew and paramedics all vomited when they arrived at the home of the former lorry driver in Dover, Kent.

Mr. Stacey said the bungled op had ruined his retirement dreams and left him with a hole in his stomach.

He told the court last week: “I have been left in a terrible state and it can’t be fixed. I’ve got a hole in my stomach and I can’t even see it because it is underneath.”

Mr Stacey underwent the operation at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Kent.

In 2012 East Kent Hospitals University NHS Trust admitted liability but the High Court is now being asked to decide on the amount of compensation.

Mr Stacey’s lawyers say he has been left with a permanent hole in his abdomen which prevents him from doing physical work, including DIY and gardening.

His barrister Adam Wagner said his guts “distended like a volcano” before they “suddenly erupted” as he lay in bed.

He said: “Faeces and blood exploded from a small hole in his abdomen with such force that it hit the walls and carpet.

“It continued to pump out until the bedroom walls were dripping with faeces.”

The lawyer added that Mr Stacey was not properly warned of the risks of the hernia repair, adding he should not have undergone the procedure as he was morbidly obese at the time.

Mr Stacey claims he will need to move to a bungalow, with a field for his two ponies, because he can’t manage the stairs.

The hearing continues. Yesterday Mr Stacey refused to comment on his legal action.