Winsham woman left stranded at North Somerset station

Su Eccott, 70, and her companion Alan Gray, 76, from Winsham, near Chard, have voiced their concerns after taking a trip starting and ending at Nailsea and Backwell Station on July 23 and realising the platform they arrived at had no disabled access off the platform.

In response, a spokesperson for Great Western Railway (GWR) said they are sorry if the journey presented difficulties.

The spokesperson clarified that Nailsea and Backwell is not a fully accessible station, which is mentioned on the GWR website.

Ms Eccott, who uses a wheelchair, said she chose to travel to and from Nailsea and Backwell Station as it had good parking and broke up the travel time to Bristol as she was facing a ‘stressful day’.

She said: "We had never been to Backwell before, but we thought it was an ideal choice."

However, Ms Eccott said she was left in a ‘horrendous’ situation after she and Mr Gray arrived back at Nailsea and Backwell Station at the other platform and realised they were stuck.

Ms Eccott said they took the 4.26 train from Bristol Temple Meads, headed to Weston-super-Mare and arrived at the northbound platform at around 4.50pm.

She said: "We realised there was no way down and there was no way to cross the railway to get to the other platform and use the ramp there, so basically, we were stuck.

"It was the last thing we needed.

"I just couldn’t believe it.

"We got off the train and thought ‘where’s the ramp?’

"We were going up and down the platform, and I thought ‘surely there can’t be no way off this platform’."

Alan Gray carrying Su's wheelchair down the stairs. (Image: Su Eccott)

Following this, the pair tried calling for help on the platform, but she claims no help ended up coming for 40 minutes, when a kind stranger helped her off the platform and down the stairs.

She said: "Luckily, I can walk; I am not completely bound to a wheelchair, but if I was, I don’t know what we would have done.

"There were 30-odd steps.

"It was a real struggle.

"Thankfully there was this kind young man who had to half carry me down the stairs.

"It’s horrendous.

"I was completely bound to a wheelchair; that poor young man would not have been able to carry the wheelchair down the stairs with me in it.

"I have never known anything like it.

"It has never crossed my mind that there would be no way off the platform.

"Why would they have a ramp on one side and not the other side?"

Ms Eccott said she had worried she and Mr Gray would have to jump on another train just so they could end up on the right platform with the disabled access and that the situation left them both ‘panicky’.

She also said she feels the website does not make it clear enough about the lack of a ramp on both platforms, which she worries could lead to others ending up in her position.

She said: "Why have a car park with disabled parking spaces?

"There were no facilities at all.

"After 40 minutes sitting on the platform with no toilets, I was desperate.

"So, overall, the whole thing was a joke.

"People need to be made aware of it."

She added: "It just beggars belief to me.

"It’s an absolute disgrace.

"I am amazed I am the first person who has had this experience and drawn their attention to it.

"It does make you wonder how many other people this has happened to, and they have just said nothing and how many stations there are that are the same.

"In this day and age, there is no excuse for it, but to be honest I would have thought they would be legally bound to provide those facilities for everybody."

In response, a spokesperson for GWR said: "We want every customer to be able to travel with confidence, and we are sorry if this journey presented difficulties.

"Nailsea & Backwell is not a fully accessible station, and we make information about its accessibility available through our website, National Rail Enquiries and our Passenger Assist service, so customers can plan their journeys in advance.

"We understand that every customer's circumstances are different, and we are committed to providing clear information and support to help people make the travel choices that are right for them.

"We remain committed to improving accessibility across our network and continue to work with industry and government partners to identify funding opportunities for accessibility improvements at stations, including Nailsea & Backwell."