No-one is left holding the baby
AMUM has called for better access to a Merseyrail station after struggling to get her baby’s pushchair down a flight of steps.
Sophie Ellison said she was forced to leave baby Noah behind while she pulled his stroller down the stairs at Hillside station, where there is no lift.
Sophie said that her 19-weekold baby was probably alone for around five minutes during her ordeal last week.
The mum-of-two was travel- ling from Hillside to Waterloo, where her son Jake goes to school.
Sophie, originally from Waterloo, said: “Normally there is a member of staff or passer-by around who helps. But this morning I was stranded.
“I had to carry the pram down and then run back up the steps for Noah.
“It was horrible leaving Noah alone but what else could I do?
“I was also trying to keep an eye on Jake. Obviously train stations are not safe places for children.”
Sophie, who is staying with her mum in the Hillside area, posted photographs of her ordeal on social media and a message which read: “I am a mother of two and this is a daily struggle for me and many others!
“It’s not right. Even speaking to the station manager they told me to use a different one! And it’s not their job to assist me with getting up and down the stairs safely!
“The next station is too far to make my little boy walk every morning for school.
“It’s 2017! This most definitely should not still be allowed!
“My mum has lived near this station for 30 years and has raised three children. She has always found this extremely irritating.
“The buses never really had spaces for prams then either. Even now in Southport you are lucky to be able to get your pram/ wheelchair on a bus at peak times.”
Councillors and residents in the area have long called for a lift to be installed at Hillside Station, which is near schools including Greenbank High, Birkdale High, Our Lady of Lourdes prinary and Farnborough Road, as well as being the nearest station to Royal Birkdale golf course, which is staging The Open this summer.
A Merseytravel spokesperson said: “We are working to make as many of our stations as possible accessible to people with mobility problems or with prams and pushchairs.
“While we would like to make all stations accessible to all, we have to go through a process of prioritisation and apply for funding for each individual project. Considerations include land use issues, potential complexity of the scheme and cost. As a result, there are currently no immediate plans to install lifts at Hillside.
“Where possible, we would encourage those who have mobility issues to consider using either Ainsdale station or Birkdale, which have accessible platforms.”