A diabetic patient at Hillingdon Hospital has become the first person in the UK to undergo pioneering surgery which could save his leg.

Diabetes sufferers often have poor circulation which is a side effect of their condition.

In the worst cases limbs may need to be amputated because of gangrenous ulcers, said a spokesman for the trust.

David Jones, 59, who lives minutes away from the hospital in Pield Heath Road, Uxbridge, was facing the removal of half his left leg.

But he is now recovering on Pagett Ward after a two-hour operation which aims to improve the blood supply to the leg and prevent the need for amputation.

Consultant surgeon Saroj Das transplanted arteries and veins from the omentum ,, the membrane that protects the body's abdominal structures ,, and tied them to his left leg.

'He hopes the omentum with its intact arteries and veins will encourage the growth of new blood vessels to boost circulation although Mr Das' patient may require less radical amputation ,, meaning he loses his big toe instead of his leg,' said a spokesman for the hospital.

Mr Jones, an administrator for a company has been diabetic for 43 years. He said he realised there was no guarantee of success.

'My foot feels warm rather than cold as it always was before the operation and I can feel a pulse in my foot,' added the married father of two grown up children.

Mr Das performed the procedure following promising results when it was used in India on people with circulation problems who required no major amputations as a result.

But he warned that it was not a miracle cure and may not suit all diabetic patients.