A DISABLED man has voiced his anger at being told he could not use a bus service that was supposed to be wheelchair-friendly.

Councillor David Leeks, borough ward member for Tadley and vice-chairman of Tadley Town Council, said he was outraged when he was turned away from the Stagecoach "easy access" service because a standard-floor, not low-floor, bus was operating on the route.

Cllr Leeks, who has polio and is the former chairman of the British Polio Fellowship, was attempting to make the journey between Tadley and Basingstoke hospital, a bus route designated as suitable for disabled passengers, when the incident occurred.

Cllr Leeks said: "I went to get on the bus on Bishopswood Road - to use my disability travel tokens I make use of public transport - but instead of finding an easy access' bus, there were two steps which I was not able to get up.

"The driver just looked at me and said No way'. That was it - and I was just left there."

Cllr Leeks, who lives in The Copse, Tadley, was forced to head home and get in the car in order to make the journey with his son.

He said: "If you are in a wheelchair, you need to know that you are able to travel into Basingstoke the same as everybody else."

Andrew Dyer, managing director of Stagecoach South, said the company is investigating why an "easy access" bus was not operating on the route, as the company has a fleet of low-floor buses large enough to service all "easy access" routes as well as cover unexpected breakdowns.

He said: "When we advertise a bus route as being operated with low-floor access, we make every effort to ensure every journey is operated with such buses. We owe Cllr Leeks an unreserved apology that this didn't happen."

Mr Dyer said he was not aware of Cllr Leeks' problems with the attitude of the bus driver in question, but this would also be looked into.

He added: "It is not possible to fit a wheelchair onto one of the high-floor buses, so the driver didn't have any option but to say sorry, you can't bring it on' - but that is no excuse for unpleasant or rude behaviour."