Disabled sailor Geoff Holt left ‘stranded’ at Gatwick after taxi firm error

Mr Holt, who runs Portsmouth based project Wetwheels Maritime Adventures, had returned from holiday in Egypt to discover Streamline-Hardway cabs had a wheelchair-accessible cab booked for the wrong time.

The gold medal winning Paralympic sailor, who uses a large electric wheelchair, said it was ‘an example of what people with a disability have to go through’ when planning a trip.

He said: 'It was very frustrating. I had called to check the booking twice - but when I called from the airport they said my taxi was booked for 11.50am - which was in 11 hours’ time.

'I didn't even get an apology.

'You can not just leave someone stranded in the middle of the night 100 miles from home - especially someone with a wheelchair.'

Mr Holt's electric wheelchair needed to be dismantled in order to fit in a cab provided by a London firm - after a three-hour search to find a suitable vehicle.

This is not the first time Mr Holt has highlighted the problems people with a disability face when making a journey. In 2011, the MBE-awarded sailor described being ‘man-handled’ in front of a packed plane, as disability assistance staff had arrived too late to help him board before other passengers.

He said: 'You hear these stories a lot.

'It impacts you're whole holiday.'

Mr Holt praised Streamline-Hardway for having so many disability accessible vehicles: 'It is cracking they take so many people with disabilities,' he said.

A representative from Streamline-Hardway said they were looking into the matter.

They said: 'The operator who took the call should have apologised - it should have been the first thing out of their mouth.

‘A vehicle was offered for as soon as possible. Hardway has multiple cars that accommodate a variety of wheelchairs.

'We do an awful lot of work with people with disabilities. I'm genuinely sorry for the error.'

Mr Holt said he understood it was a ‘genuine mistake’, which ‘highlights the lack of options for disabled people when things go wrong’.