A disabled woman was trapped for an hour and a half on a railway station platform because the lift was locked and staff had gone home.

Mandy Richardson-Mills has to use crutches because she has osteoarthritis in both of her knees and cannot get down the stairs at Rochester station.

She was returning with her cousin and carer, Thomas Mace-Archer-Mills, from visiting her elderly uncle in Canterbury - but when she arrived in Rochester at 6.50pm, she found the station lift was locked.

She said she pressed the assistance button but to no avail, and then called train operator Southeastern directly. Eventually, a member of staff was sent on the next train with a key for the lift.

Miss Richardson-Mills, 42, said: "When I said to him I'd been told the lifts are locked due to the homeless sleeping in them at night he replied 'That’s rubbish, it's because the staff have been cut and the lifts have to be locked before the last one goes'."

"It's hard enough to get out and about as it is, without worrying about whether you'll be able to get home at the end of the day..." - Mandy Richardson-Mills

She was finally able to go home at 8.20pm – her journey to Foord Street normally takes 10 minutes from stepping off the train.

Miss Richardson-Mills uses the trains to visit family in London and Canterbury, and has often found the lift locked when she returns home. She said: "I can't come back after 7pm because the lifts are rarely open.

"It's hard enough to get out and about as it is, without worrying about whether you'll be able to get home at the end of the day."

She said this incident particularly infuriated her as she had asked the conductor if the lifts would be open.

"He said 'I can assure you they will be open, but to put your mind at ease I'll phone ahead to check and come back to you'. I never saw him again," she said.

Passengers requiring help can book this 24 hours in advance with Southeastern, but Miss Richardson-Mills says this only works if you have a set travel time.

She said: "I shouldn't have to be governed by a time. They're discriminating against disabled passengers about when and where they can travel."

A Southeastern spokesman said: "It's unfortunate that on this occasion our assisted travel team were not aware of this passenger's journey requirements, but we would certainly have expected the staff member that she spoke to on the day to provide appropriate advice on her travel options.

"We are very sorry that this was not the case on this occasion and for the problems that she encountered as a result.

"The station at Rochester is staffed on a daily basis between 6am and 9.30pm, and from 6.45am to 1.25pm on Saturdays.

"When there is no member of staff on site, customer help points are available so that passengers can seek assistance from our central control centre.

"The lifts are locked during periods that the station is unmanned as a preventive measure against vandalism."