A PENSIONER is calling on rail operators to provide better access for disabled people after he was stopped from boarding a train on his mobility scooter.

William Heaps, 70, has an enlarged heart, diabetes, swollen legs, and kidney complications and needs a mobility scooter because he can only walk a few steps unaided.

But when he tried to catch a Manchester-bound train at Rochdale station he was told he could only take his scooter on board if he folded it down and carried it on.

This left Mr Heaps, who is also in remission from prostate cancer, so exhausted and unwell that he has not tried to board a train since.

As he doesn’t have a car, he says the situation has left him feeling ‘like a prisoner’, trapped in Rochdale, as he has no other way of visiting his daughter in Yorkshire, son in Scotland or sister, who lives in Ardwick.

"I was quite bewildered that Mr Heaps couldn‘t access the train, as the train station has been adapted, so it is compatible with the needs of disabled people, but the trains aren’t."

Cllr Dale Mulgrew

Currently, most train operators can’t allow scooters onto trains, blaming safety reasons, although some do allow smaller models.

Mr Heaps, of Aldwych, Kirkholt, said: "Certain shops and black cabs have to be compatible for disabled people so why not trains and buses?

"I don’t even know why they bothered giving me a pass because I can’t use public transport.

"I end up exhausted if I have to walk anywhere. It makes me feel like a prisoner."

Councillor Dale Mulgrew, who stepped in to try to help Mr Heaps, said: "I was quite bewildered that Mr Heaps couldn‘t access the train, as the train station has been adapted, so it is compatible with the needs of disabled people, but the trains aren’t."

A spokeswoman for Northern Rail said: "Our policy is that we can carry motorised scooters only if they are of standard size (120cm by 67cm) or the type that can be folded and carried on board the train. This is because we operate several different types of trains and our services call at over 500 stations, so we cannot guarantee to have a standard incline in all boarding ramps. The centre of gravity of mobility scooters greatly increases the risk of the vehicle and its owner toppling backwards on boarding ramps.

"In addition, because scooters are steered by handlebars they have limited manoeuvrability and may not always be easily driven into the wheelchair space on a train. It is possible that a scooter parked in a doorway or vestibule could block the evacuation of passengers, creating an unacceptable risk to the user and other passengers.

"We will continue to review our policy on a regular basis to take account of any future developments in either our train fleet or mobility scooter design."