A disabled rail passenger says she is a victim of discrimination, after she was told she could not take her mini scooter onto a train.

Rachael Taylor, from Earby, has been told by Northern Rail that the mobility aid could act as an obstruction to other passengers. As a result, she says she can no longer travel alone.

She said: “I feel that I have suffered disability discrimination as a disabled traveller.

“I have a mini-scooter, low powered so it will not harm anyone. It's very agile and small so I can get through the smallest places and tightest areas.

“I have muscle weakness, so am unable to self-propel in a manual chair, and the beauty of a mini-scooter is that it doesn't weigh too much for a carer or friend/relative or taxi driver to lift in and out of a car, unlike a big heavy electric wheelchair.

“Northern Rail have decided to ban all scooters unless you can fold them up and lift them onto the train yourself. How someone who needs to use a scooter can lift them on themselves is beyond me.”

Mrs Taylor added: “I recently travelled with Northern Rail and none of the conductors were allowed to put the ramp out for me, and they watched while my friends lifted me onto the train and also lifted the scooter on.

“I can understand that there is a size issue with scooters as I feel myself that large size ones should not be allowed in public areas, as they are quite powerful and can be a danger to pedestrians, but my small scooter is smaller than my wheelchair, and it enables me to travel on my own.

“With this ruling of Northern Railway, I am now unable to travel by rail on my own and will have to travel with more than one carer to help me and my scooter on and off the train.

“Surely this goes against all the disability laws. I am not asking for anything extra to anyone else, just to be able to travel with my mini-scooter.”

A Northern Rail spokeswoman said: “Firstly, I would like to apologise to our passenger for the inconvenience she has experienced. We understand that it can be frustrating for passengers when they are unable to take their scooters on our trains.

“Our current fleet is unable to accommodate mobility scooters due to their wide variety of shapes and sizes and the potential obstruction they could cause in an emergency.

“Across Northern’s network there are inconsistent platform heights at stations, between the train and the platform itself. This creates an increased risk of non-folding scooters toppling backwards on access ramps due to scooters having a centre of gravity (unlike a wheelchair) towards the rear of the vehicle. Our passengers’ safety is paramount and we cannot risk customers being injured by this type of accident.

“All train operators encourage passengers with access issues to contact them prior to making their journey.

“Any passengers who require assistance boarding or alighting our trains are encouraged to contact us to discuss their requirements on our Freephone number 08081 56 16 06 or email assistance@northernrail.org “This information is clearly displayed at our stations, on the back of timetables and on our website."