A 90-year-old woman says she can't use a riverside walk because she can't get her mobility scooter past a safety barrier.

Amanda Dore would like to use the path next to the River Frome in Dorchester as she says it's a lovely spot but also it provides a shortcut to get to the Lidl supermarket in the Grove where she likes to shop.

Mrs Dore would like to see changes made to the safety barriers at the entrance to the river walk on London Road as she cannot manoeuvre her mobility scooter, nicknamed Eva the Diva, onto the path.

The safety barrier is the responsibility of Dorchester Town Council which says it complies with the existing regulations regarding accessibility. 

Dorset Echo: London Road resident Mrs Dore said: “I’d like to get onto the river walk as right now I can only look over the wall.

“The river looks like a lovely area, I’ve seen the ducks out, the fish. I just want to take my scooter, sit there, and enjoy the sunshine."

Mrs Dore wrote to authorities and her MP, Chris Loder MP, who put her in touch with Dorset Council’s ranger team. A ranger has apparently visited the site to investigate.

Her complaints have been ongoing for the past 12 months and Mrs Dore says she feels like she has been 'ignored'.

She said: “I pay my council tax, I shop only in Dorchester and I feel like I am not asking the impossible. They aren’t taking any notice of me.”

Mrs Dore wants to see the barriers replaced with a movable gate, and said she wanted to raise awareness of the issue, with other scooter, wheelchair and pram users also experiencing difficulties.

Dorset Echo: Amanda Dores wants to see the static gates replaced with a movable gate“Last month I saw a man with an electric wheelchair struggle to squeeze through to the other side and got stuck. In the end it took three men to lift him and the scooter over the fence,” she said.

“I like Dorchester. It’s a nice place to get about but I’d like to go to Lidl’s.”

Mrs Dore, a retired nurse, moved to Dorchester from Wales a year ago after her husband passed away.

Dorset Echo:

Whilst the Echo was at the site, a passer-by said: “I was just having a chat with a mobility scooter user up the path who said he was facing the same problem."

Mrs Dore also said that the position of a bin near the barrier makes it even harder to manoeuvre and reverse.  

Steve Newman, town clerk for Dorchester Town Council said: "This issue has recently been drawn to my attention by a local councillor. The Council’s Management Committee will be giving the matter some consideration when it next meets."

A spokesperson for Dorset Council said: "We appreciate this concern being brought to our attention. A ranger will check the entrance at London Road to see how access can be improved."

Regarding further improvements to the Stinsford River Path further up, the spokesperson added: "Parts of the Stinsford River Path can be quite challenging for wheelchair users, mainly due to the natural environment and the recent damage sustained to the riverbank, which is causing sections of the pathway to flood at this time.

"We are working with the Environment Agency and the landowner for a long-term solution to this problem."