A COUPLE have complained that the lack of disabled access at a station on the Tyne Valley line makes it difficult to use the railway.

Lee Southren, from Haydon Bridge, and his wheelchair-bound wife Joanne regularly use the train to travel from Haydon Bridge to Hexham.

But the poor disabled access at Hexham means they’re sometimes forced into a 15-minute detour up the road, across the bridge and through Tyne Mills Industrial Estate.

“If there’s no staff there we have to walk all the way around,” Lee explained. “It’s a good 15 minute walk. They’re very short-staffed there, there’s only three staff there at all and they have to manage.

“We’ve had the platform change and miss the train because of the walk, so we had to wait another hour there.

"We come to Hexham at least two or three times a week to go shopping and pay bills.

“We want to get a lift or a ramp put in – not just for wheelchairs but for people with prams, especially if it’s raining."

Northern, which operates the station, pointed out that they are currently working to make its stations more accessible.

A spokesman for the railway franchise said: “We are in the early stages of a modernisation programme that will make Northern’s trains and stations more accessible.

“Sadly these changes cannot be introduced overnight and our network currently contains trains and stations which were not designed to meet the needs of all customers.

“We do, however, aim to provide the best possible service and want to hear from our customers when journeys have fallen short of expectations.”

The company also said it has a helpline for customers who may require assistance.