A Norfolk man who was left with serious spinal injuries after a diving accident in Ibiza has been transferred to Barcelona for specialist rehabilitation.

Matt Jarvis, who runs Wells Deli on the north Norfolk coast, fractured two vertebrae in his neck after slipping on rocks during a holiday with friends last month.

His partner, Kiki Alvarez, was on the first available flight to Ibiza and by Mr Jarvis' bedside following emergency surgery.

The 33-year-old was told he would need immediate and extensive rehab to regain his mobility, but insurance delays mean he has not been able to fly back to the UK via air ambulance.

To make matters worse, there is currently a two to three-month waiting list for treatment on the NHS.

However, a fundraiser started by friends has amassed almost £40,000 in donations, allowing Mr Jarvis to journey to a specialist facility in Barcelona.

"We were in limbo at the hospital because we were waiting for the insurance to let us know what to do - but it never happened," said Ms Alvarez.

"The hospital staff were looking after us really well but there was only so much they could do.

"We got to the point where Matt was no longer looking on the bright side because he was only having 15 minutes of physio every day.

"We just needed to get out of there and to rehab, so we took things into our own hands."

Just three weeks after Mr Jarvis's accident, the couple bravely took the one-hour flight to Catalonia with no medical assistance.

Despite the experience being "scary", they were grateful to receive plenty of help from airport staff.

An ambulance took them to the Guttmann Institute, in the Badalona area of Barcelona, and Mr Jarvis is now getting "the care he needs"

Ms Alvarez added: "It is absolutely incredible here and Matt is doing much better. He is improving really quickly.

"He is surrounded by people with similar injuries, which helps to make him feel a bit more comfortable. We are definitely in the right place.

"The fundraiser has done enough to keep him in rehab for two months which is amazing. We are just so grateful to everybody who has helped."

The couple plan to assess Mr Jarvis' options in a month's time.