A mum-of-two was left feeling "more disabled" than at any point in her life after being abandoned on a railway platform.

Southeastern has apologised after Karen Miller, who has multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair, became stranded at Whitstable station when the help she requested to board her train failed to materialise.

Mrs Miller, 43, who lives near Whitstable High Street, was due to get the high speed service to London at 9.50am on Thursday to visit her daughter Lucy, who has recently moved to Stratford.

Travelling on her own for the first time, she had phoned Southeastern in advance to arrange assistance getting from the platform to the train, and says she was told to wait for carriage number six.

Despite arriving 25 minutes early, she realised as soon as her train arrived that she was in the wrong spot, but was unable to self-propel herself due to weakness in her arms.

After no-one emerged to assist her, she then had to watch as the service pulled away without her.

Lucy Metcalfe, her 22-year-old daughter, says the incident has left Mrs Miller, who was diagnosed with MS six years ago, feeling "devastated".

"The lady from the station didn't come out, like we have experienced beforehand on our travels when we have been together," she explained.

"It's made her feel even more disabled. She was in a vulnerable situation, but couldn't do anything about it and just had to sit there watching the train go past."

Previously a hairdresser who ran her own business and loved swimming, running and Zumba, Mrs Miller's condition means she cannot walk without feeling extreme fatigue, and has led to her having to give up driving and work.

"My step dad wheeled her up to the platform and had to leave her as he works nights, and she thought she'd be fine, as we had travelled with disabled assistance before," Miss Metcalfe continued.

"She was very active before, so relying on other people is very hard for her to do.

"She was devastated, and it's knocked her confidence to travel alone. It's just a shock, really.

"She was left stranded. No one was there to help her, and she didn't know what to do."

The family were later told that station workers didn't assist Mrs Miller because they had believed a member of staff on the high speed service would be looking out for her.

As a result, she had to wait an hour for the next train, which she then boarded with the assistance of a friend and two members of staff.

The ordeal left Mrs Miller in increased pain, as she suffers from leg spasms caused by sitting down or standing up for too long.

"She had to get up at 7am to get the train, when she normally gets up at 9am, because otherwise her body becomes very tired," Miss Metcalfe continued.

"Waiting for the next train, one hour later, meant that her legs were extremely painful and spasming without control."

A spokesman for Southeastern trains said: "We are so sorry that Karen Miller was not able to board our train last Thursday at Whitstable.

"We helped her on to the next train, offered her a full refund on the day and are looking in to what went wrong."

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