Disabled woman '˜trapped' at home after mobility scooter broke down on hot bank holiday weekend

Susan Fletcher, 63 from Waterlooville, said she was ‘practically stuck in her bedroom’ at times after her new mobility scooter broke down.

She was left unable to even get herself a glass of water to stay hydrated.

She said: ‘When my scooter broke down over the weekend, I rang everybody to try and get it fixed, but there was nobody around.

‘I was having to really push myself just to get to the toilet - I couldn’t get out of the house and couldn’t even get myself a glass of water. I needed help, and nobody came.’

Susan, who got her scooter from Total Mobility as part of the Motability scheme, said her scooters breaking down has been a ‘regular occurrence’.

She said: ‘This isn’t the first time this has happened, but now I’m at my wit’s end.

‘My previous scooter had broken down three times before I was given this new one.

‘It’s okay if something goes wrong during the week because they get someone to you straight away – but if it’s the weekend then everything just falls apart.

‘That then means I end up putting pressure on social services to get something sorted and that shouldn’t be the case.

‘Nobody should be left in this sort of state – I can’t go on like this any longer.’

A spokesperson for Total Mobility – which put the previous issues with Susan’s chair down to ‘worn motor brushes’ – said: ‘It was unfortunate that Mrs Fletcher’s chair broke down on the bank holiday Monday.

‘We rang her back first thing on Tuesday morning and had an engineer down to her the same day with a loan chair.’

They added: ‘I have kept Mrs Fletcher fully informed at all times and we will continue to offer a first-class service.’