Woman calls for safer access after station fall

A woman is calling for urgent improvements to access at a railway station after a fall left her with serious cuts and bruises.

Anny Sherwood, 72, from Oakham, Rutland, said the fall - on an unmarked speed bump at Peterborough station on 15 November - left her "shell-shocked".

She said she and husband Dennis had tried to contact London North Eastern Railways (LNER), which manage the station, since the incident but they felt "angry" at the lack of response.

A spokesperson for LNER told the BBC they "will not comment on individual cases, but are aware of the incident and an investigation is ongoing".

Mrs Sherwood was making her way to the station to catch a train to London when she fell, breaking her glasses.

She said no staff member stopped to offer any assistance despite "blood streaming down her face".

She said that after more than six weeks of contacting the train operator, she was "still waiting for at least an apology or some compensation".

"The walk is unsafe," she said.

"The incident happened in daylight. It is a serious health and safety hazard especially for someone who is partially-sighted or disabled or has a pushchair.

"I am angry. I feel they [LNER] are hoping we will go away and that's why they are not responding. We have tried multiple times."

Mr Sherwood, who met his wife at London King's Cross, said he was "horrified" by the cuts and bruises she sustained.

The area around the city's railway station is earmarked for a £65m upgrade with a new terminal entrance and route to the city centre for walkers and cyclists.

"There is no walkway to the station entrance from the car park," Mrs Sherwood said.

"You have to navigate between incoming traffic and taxis.

"It is very poorly organised and quite unsafe. Somebody could be badly hurt.

"I didn't notice the speed bump. It wasn't marked and was easy to miss. Something should be done about. It is a big mess.

"Just highlighting the speed bump would temporarily solve the issue."

Peterborough disability campaigner Julie Fernandez, a wheelchair user, said the city's station was one of the "more disabled-friendly stations" but she agreed that improvements could still be made.

"The station quarter is going to get a massive upgrade and I am excited to see what they do - and hopefully more disabled people can get involved in the plans to improve accessibility," she said.

"But in the meantime, it can still benefit from better pavement access and better signage and better markings."

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