Amputee forced to cancel Blackgang Chine Theme Park trip

Karl Epps from Totton felt “awful” when he was forced to cancel his day at Blackgang Chine Theme Park on the Isle of Wight.

The 30-year-old had both legs amputated because of spina bifida, a condition that happens when the spine and spinal cord do not develop properly in the womb, causing a gap in the spine.

On a recent holiday to Sandown, the wheelchair user had booked £30 tickets to visit the UK's oldest theme park but much to his disappointment, he only managed to get as far as the gift shop.

Speaking to the Echo, he said: "Me and my partner and her family went to the Isle of Wight for a week on holiday.

"As I got [to the amusement park] the place was so hilly, and the hills were so steep that my wheelchair couldn’t get the grip. I nearly fell out of my wheelchair.

"It was awful, there was no access with the wheelchair. I couldn’t get to the actual theme park, we only got to the gift shop at the start of the park."

'It nearly ruined the whole holiday'

Being unable to enjoy the day out, Karl tried to ask for a refund.

He said: "Me and my partner went into the office and asked to speak to the manager and asked for a refund, but they couldn’t give it to us because it was booked online.

"The whole situation ruined the whole day; it nearly ruined the whole holiday."

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Karl was asked to email his request and was told a refund would be issued afterwards.

As of Monday evening, Karl said he was yet to be refunded.

He said the incident made him angry and affected his confidence as a wheelchair user.

He added: "It pushed my confidence down quite a bit, it made me feel that they don’t [care] at all about people suffering with a disability.

"I was quite angry as the staff came across as quite rude and that they didn’t really care."

Karl Epps from Totton felt “awful” when he was forced to cancel his day at Blackgang Chine Theme Park (Image: Karl Epps)

A spokesperson for Blackgang Chine Theme Park said: "To clarify, tickets purchased online cannot be refunded in person, this is purely an administration setup, and the couple were asked to email with details so we could issue the refund, which we did as promptly as possible.

"Information about our accessibility, including the steep gradients that you will face in the park can be found on our website.

"This year we endeavoured to improve our accessibility by joining the Access Scheme, which gives both guests all the information they need about the park, as well as better informs our staff of the needs of guests so we can do as much as possible to ensure an enjoyable trip.

"We apologise for any inconvenience, the nature of our site is affected by environmental factors, some of which are unchangeable, meanwhile we make as much of the park as accessible as we can."