NEW CONCERNS have been raised over access to Dorchester West Station after a footpath to the platform was closed for 30 weeks.

The path up from Damer’s Road to the northbound platform at the station has been fenced off by Taylor Wimpey, which is working on the nearby Queen’s Park development.

Pensioner Robert Potter, 77, from Castle Park, has voiced concerns that pedestrians wishing to access the platform will now have to walk round to the southbound platform and go over the station bridge.

He said that, while he was able to cope with the inconvenience, it made access virtually impossible for people with wheelchairs or with toddlers in pushchairs.

Mr Potter said: “The access to the platform for trains to Bath and Bristol is impossible to get to if you are in a wheelchair and if you are somebody with a pushchair and a couple of toddlers it also becomes an impossibility.

“For me it’s just an inconvenience because I can just walk round but if you have got a pushchair you are faced with the steep steps of the rail bridge up one side and down the other.

“If you are in a wheelchair you have no hope.”

Mr Potter said he also hopes that when the works are completed the path will be restored in a way that allows for easy access for those with limited mobility.

He said: “There has also been no indication as to whether they are going to have steps and then a level bit or if it is going to be a gradual slope.”

Chris Irwin, a committee member with the Dorchester Area Access for All Group, said passengers who were unable to access the northbound platform had to either travel down to Weymouth on the southbound train and change trains or get a taxi to Maiden Newton. He said it also seemed to be unclear as to how long the works would take, with one sign at the station saying the path would be closed ‘until further notice’.

A spokesperson for Taylor Wimpey Southern Counties said: “Taylor Wimpey is currently carrying out construction works adjacent to the footpath which has been closed to comply with health and safety requirements.

“It expects the footpath to be closed for 30 weeks, during which time it will be reconstructed in preparation for its reopening.

“Taylor Wimpey apologises for any inconvenience caused but the health and safety of its staff and the general public is paramount.”