DISABLED residents will be able to complete their Christmas shopping at Bluewater now electric wheelchairs are back in action.

Ashdale, which provides electric wheelchairs through its Shopmobility service, went bust, two weeks ago, leaving only manual wheelchairs available for disabled shoppers.

And according to them manual wheelchairs at the Greenhithe centre were also in short supply. But this week, Bluewater bosses came to the rescue by setting up an in-house Shopmobility service for an "interim period" while they look for a new operator to take over.

The News Shopper received several calls from disabled residents who were struggling to do their shopping.

The last time Josephine Paffett, 64, of Haven Close, Swanley, went along to Bluewater, she was told there were no electric wheelchairs and no manual chairs either until late in the day. This meant she was unable to do her shopping.

Now she is delighted Shopmobility is running again and says it means she will be able to her Christmas shopping at Bluewater.

She said: "I am glad electric wheelchairs are available again because so many disabled people rely on them to get around Bluewater.

"When the company which runs the service went bust two weeks ago, it couldn't have happened at a worse time of year so it is absolutely superb it is running again."

And Gill Knight, 57, of Westmount Road, Eltham says she is "very pleased" the service is running again after she vowed never to go back to Bluewater when it took her an hour to get a wheelchair for her 85-year-old mother a week ago.

She said: "At least I know I can take my mother shopping and it will be hassle-free."

Secretary of Gravesend PHAB, which is a social group for the disabled and able-bodied, Eileen Perks said: "The electric wheelchair service is important to enable disabled people to do their shopping independently and it is important that this service is up and running."

A Bluewater spokesman said: "Bluewater will resume the Shopmobility service this week.

"In the short-term, we will set up an in-house service while we look for an operator to take over in the long term."

December 11, 2001 10:40