A DISABLED man from Oakworth has voiced his frustration at a Keighley supermarket's failure to sort out its malfunctioning mobility scooters.

Chris Cooper, 60, said the town's branch of Asda is the only major supermarket in the town to offer this mobility scooter loan service at its premises, but added that the service is proving worthless due to scooters being repeatedly out of action.

Mr Cooper, who can only walk a very short distance, said: "Asda could be achieving something really positive with this facility.

"But when they offer it and it doesn't work, and when you complain about it and they respond that there's nothing they can do, what's the point of having the service in the first place?

"If they're not interested in providing it properly they should just remove the facility altogether.

"I don't want to be a recluse or a couch potato, but this problem is taking away some of my freedom."

Mr Cooper, who used to run his own business distributing leaflets and supplying inkjet cartridges, has neuropathy, osteoarthritis and a permanent slipped disc.

He explained that with walking sticks he can just about walk from the nearest disabled parking space at Keighley's Asda to the customer service desk inside the main entrance.

He said the two mobility scooters provided by Asda began failing early this year.

"After six months of this I finally managed to get a face-to-face meeting about the scooters with the store manager," he added.

"He identified what the fault was and had that put right. But three weeks ago the scooters started failing again.

"I got through to the head office in Leeds and gave them the full story. They said they'd call back but I never heard from them.

"When I went back to Asda, the mobility scooter broke down yet again so I called the head office back only to be told there was nothing they could do. I think that's unacceptable.

"It can be awkward being disabled, and it's difficult to do things that a lot of people take for granted. Disabled people do get a raw deal.

"Tesco in Skipton has two mobility scooters for customers and they do actually work. But I shouldn't have to make a 20-mile round trip to go all the way to Skipton for my supermarket shopping.

"Asda are making me feel like a less valued member of society."

A spokesman for Asda responded: “We provide services like mobility scooters to make shopping with Asda easier for those customers who need a little extra help.

“Whilst we do regular checks to ensure they’re in full working order, we’re sorry if the scooter in Keighley has been playing up for Mr Cooper.

“We have provided a gesture of goodwill for any inconvenience caused, and look forward to welcoming him back into store shortly.”