A wheelchair user is urging people not to park their cars near bus stops after suffering an injury.

Cass Peters, from Swanscombe, says that because the ramp had to be put down between the two vehicles, his wheelchair ended up "flying" and he scraped his arm.

The 45-year-old said: "There was a car and a work van parked at the bus stop so the driver had to stop in the middle of the street and put the ramp down between the two vehicles.

"The ramp is not designed to span that distance – you're supposed to have a nice gentle slope from the bus to the pavement, not a dizzying drop from the bus to the street."

As a result of the drop and the rain, Cass' wheelchair tipped and he ended up on his back in the street and a scratch on his arm.

The incident happened on September 13 at around 9pm, when Cass was heading home from the Gravesham community forum.

Cass was on the Arriva 481 bus and was getting off at the Swanscombe Church bus station, on the corner of Englington and Swanscombe Street.

He said: "My arm is bandaged now – it's sore as well. The wound isn't super deep, but it's pretty wide so it will probably take a few weeks to fully heal up.

"If I were more frail, I'd have been injured much worse. If I were a power chair user I'd more likely have fallen forward and been pinned under my chair."

"The injuries I have are annoying, but this could have gone much worse."

Cass has rheumatoid arthritis, and has been in a wheelchair since 2016. They are able to walk for short distances, but get dizzy and light-headed which can be dangerous.

The wheelchair means that he is able to go out and do things without wasting his energy. However, Cass admits that travelling in a wheelchair is "always a gamble."

He said: "This is my first incident on a bus, but I've been stuck on plenty of trains because ramps didn't show up when they should have.

"I'll be more aware of it – maybe go an extra stop and double back if it feels unsafe. But anyone who wheels will tell you that transport is always fraught with random problems.

"People don't take us into account and we get forgotten."

Cass filed an incident report with Arriva, however admits that he doesn't know what else the driver could have done.

"It would be nice if there were more enforcement for parking violations," he said. "If people started getting tickets, or at least warnings, maybe bus stops and kerb cuts wouldn't be blocked as often.

"That would go a long way towards keeping wheelchair users safe, and it would help folks with prams as well."

An Arriva spokesman said: "We are aware of the incident that took place on Tuesday evening in Swanscombe.

"We prioritise our customers safety and vehicles parked in bus lanes cause issues for our customers and our drivers, we urge all car and van drivers to refrain from parking in dedicated bus lanes."