A 70-stone Ipswich man is being “starved” before he can have lifesaving surgery, it was revealed today.

IPSWICH: A 70-stone Ipswich man is being “starved” before he can have lifesaving surgery, it was revealed today.

Paul Mason, 48, was taken to a specialist unit for obese patients in St Richard's Hospital, Sussex, earlier this month but has not had the gastric bypass operation yet as he needs to lose more weight.

According to sources, he is being slimmed down because he is too overweight to have the operation and it could lead to several complications. The source said this could last for weeks until he is at an appropriate weight.

It is believed Mr Mason has already lost some weight since his admission to hospital on January 13, however it is not known whether this has been through a calorie controlled diet or tube feeding.

Doctors were wary beforehand of the risks involved, given the strain his heart would be put under following the general anaesthetic.

A gastric bypass is a surgical procedure to make the stomach smaller and the digestive system shorter.

It is being carried out by one of the leading gastric surgeons, Shaw Somers, who has been nicknamed the “fat doctor” because of the thousands of gastric bypasses and gastric band operations he has performed.

Mr Somers was unavailable for comment.

Mr Mason, who has a severe addiction to food, has been closely followed throughout the process by a TV crew who are filming a Channel 4 documentary about his life and his bid to shed the pounds.

Dr David Haslam, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, said: “Surgery will be a big trauma and he might not make it. When someone is this size, it is a terminal illness. He may well still have heart failure after the operation because he won't lose the weight immediately.”

Readers of The Evening Star expressed strong views on the subject after it was revealed that he has received around �1million in state-funded care.

Have you been a similar position and want to tell us your experience? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.