Top Paralympian forced to wet herself in wheelchair because there was no accessible toilet on train
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An award-winning Paralympian says she was forced to wet herself on a train because it had a lack of disabled facilities on a three-hour journey.
Anne Wafula Strike, 42, a British wheelchair racer and disabilities campaigner, said she was "robbed of her dignity" after she had to urinate in her seat.
She was travelling on a CrossCountry train from Coventry to Stanstead on December 8 when the humiliating incident happened.
The accessible toilet was out of order, and so staff told her to get off the train early and use one at the station.
But there were no staff to help her down from the carriage, and so she was forced to relieve herself in her wheelchair.
(Photo: Getty)
Ms Wafula Strike, who was awarded an MBE for her charity work, said she covered her face with her hoodie and tried to conceal the smell with perfume after the accident.
She blasted the train company for its lack of disabled facilities and said it was a "basic human right" to be able to use a toilet.
The athlete, who was born in Kenya, went public in the hope it will highlight the need for equality and accessibility for disabled people.
She told The Guardian : "Being forced to sit in my own urine destroyed my self-esteem and my confidence.
(Photo: Getty)
"People with disabilities don’t want perfection, we just want the basics and to have our independence. But lack of access and inclusive facilities make us feel as if we are an afterthought."
The train company apologised to Ms Wafula Strike and said it will offer her an explanation on why she was "failed" as a customer.
A CrossCountry spokesman said: “We are extremely sorry for the circumstances of Mrs Strike’s recent journey with us, and our managing director has passed on our apologies to her along with an explanation of why it appears all our systems failed her on that day."