Son leaves mother outside Natwest in Wimborne because it has no disabled access

Malcolm McNeill took his mother, Phyllis McNeill, to the bank to sort a problem with her debit card but had to leave her on the pavement while he sorted the banking issue.

Mr McNeill said: “We managed to get her to the bank which is an enormous performance.

“Even getting in and out of the car is difficult, getting into the bank was impossible.

“I had to keep running outside to reassure her because she was confused. I was struck by the fact that a business does not have disabled access.”

Mrs McNeill, who now lives Ferndown, raised five children in Wimborne, although Malcolm now lives in New York City, USA.

“She was confused being sat out on the pavement on her own, but she was happy the debit card had been resolved. I was surprised there was no temporary ramp. They said it would be too close to the curb.

“It is a round step as well, so it is harder to get a wheelchair up.

“I think my mum is older than that bank.”

A spokesperson for NatWest said: “We understand that this was a very difficult situation for the customer and apologise for the inconvenience. The accessibility of our branches is something we take very seriously, and we have previously explored options for installing a ramp at this location. However, due to a number of external considerations beyond our control, this was not practical.

“We will undertake a new review of the branch to explore any other options to increase the accessibility of this branch, including speaking to local authorities.”