37 stone man told to buy 2 airline seats and given them in separate rows Les Price, 43, needed to pay for extra space because he is over 20stone Farce: 37stone Les Price had to reason with staff who allocated his two seats rows apart Before he boarded the plane, 37stone Les Price had already been forced to pay for an extra ticket. The airline's rules for passengers weighing more than 20stone required him to buy two seats for himself. But when he got on board, insult was added to injury. For a dismayed Mr Price found his seats for the flight to Ireland were not even next to each other - they were either side of another traveller's seat. And on his return journey the situation was even more farcical, with his allocated places two rows apart. Mr Price, 43, had booked his tickets in advance of the flight. But he said the unnamed airline's employees did not seem to understand its policy on heavier passengers. "When I got to the airport I had to explain to all the staff why I had two tickets," he said yesterday. They didn't have a clue. On the way back from Ireland one seat was in row 17 and the other in row 19. Mr Price, of Brynithel near Newport, South Wales, said the incident was one of many everyday difficulties he has faced since he began struggling with his weight. The unemployed widower, who sleeps on the ground floor because he cannot manage stairs, said: "From the age of about ten I put on around a stone each year it seemed. I wasn't a layabout. Mr Price then injured his back in an accident. He added: "I lost my mobility, developed sciatica and I didn't get out of the house for three months. Even if the boys took me out they would pick me up and drop me off and when I was at the pub they'd go to the bar and get my drinks for me. When his wife Zeruiah died from cancer in 2009 he admits he turned to comfort eating. "I fell into a depression," he said. I couldn't be bothered to cook, would eat takeaways and want to treat my step-daughter Charlie because her mother had died. Earlier this year a travel expert advocated a "pay-what-you-weigh" airline pricing scheme because heavier people cost more in fuel to fly. Passengers weighing above a certain threshold would pay more for their plane tickets and lighter ones would be charged less under plans put forward by Norwegian scientist Dr Bharat Bhatta. Mr Price said he is cutting down on his calories and attending an NHS weight management clinic. He said: "I want to be out there working.