A disabled grandmother has accused a coach company of ''discrimination'' after they refused to let her on the bus with her mobility scooter.

Lesley McMaster travels from her home in Joyce Green Walk, Dartford, to Tovil in Maidstone, via public transport in order to provide childcare to her daughter.

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The 54-year-old, who uses a small shopper scooter due to a range of complex medical needs, said: "I often travel by bus either with my walking stick or my scooter.

"On this occasion I had to take shopping to my daughter's house so I took my scooter with me.

"All of the buses I used in Dartford had no issue with my scooter whatsoever, however, the buses in Maidstone refused to let me on.

"They said it was too heavy and down to driver discretion if I was allowed on the bus.

"It's discrimination, how else am I meant to get to Tovil if public transport wont allow me on?"

The nan-of-two gets Arriva's B bus to Bluewater with no issue, she then goes to Chatham using the 700 bus.

From here she gets the 101 bus to Maidstone, however, it is when she attempts to use Nu-Venture's number 23 bus that the issues occur.

She said: "The Arriva bus drivers are great, in order to help me on they actually have to leave the cab and physically put the ramp down.

"They never complain and are always happy to help.

"But Nu-Venture, who can lower their ramps with a button from their driver's seat, just point blank refuse.

"The other day there was one driver from Nu-Venture who was going to allow me on the bus but the ramp was broken.

"Another passenger had to help me lift the scooter onto the bus.

"I really don't understand why Nu-Venture are making such a fuss with this, it's not a huge mobility scooter, it is the size of a double buggy."

Last week when Lesley was refused service on the number 23 bus to Tovil she had to cover the distance, around 1.5 miles, on her scooter in the rain.

She said: "The weather was awful.

"I won't be doing it again, but I chose the footpath that goes along the river and it was so muddy and slippery.

"Next time I will go along the roads instead, even though it is further to go."

Nu-Venture explained it is only wheelchairs that are covered under the Equality Act, not mobility scooters.

A spokesman said: "We welcome wheelchair users on all our buses.

"The equality legislation has, since 2017, required all buses used on local bus services to be wheelchair accessible.

"The legislative provision is for wheelchairs. Mobility scooters are much heavier and are not covered by the regulations.

"Drivers have no 'discretion' in the matter - they are required to follow the law in relation to this matter at all times."