A Paralympian has told how she was forced to wet herself on a train ride because the disabled toilet was not working.
Anne Wafula Strike, a wheelchair racer from Harlow, has said she was left with no choice after finding the facility was out of order during a three-hour train ride home from Nuneaton to Stanstead.
The 42-year-old paralympian said she wet herself and then covered her face with her hooded jumper to avoid being recognised during the “humiliating” incident.
The athlete – who has been awarded an MBE for services to disability sport – was travelling backing from a “very positive UK Athletics board meeting” last month when the incident occured.
The disabilities campaigner told the BBC: "They put me on the train and there was a wheelchair assistant there with a ramp.
"After half an hour I felt I needed to use the restroom and to my amazement the toilet was boarded up with a sign saying it was out of order.
"I waited for the ticket master to come and she was very sympathetic and said she would get me off at the next stop so I could use the toilet there and then they would put me back on.
"But at that particular station there was nobody on the platform to help me. The next possible platform was Peterborough."
"Between me asking for help and getting to Peterborough I just had to do it, I ended up wetting myself," she said.
"My dignity was taken away, I was humiliated."
Andy Cooper, managing director of the CrossCountry train operator, said the train had a door defect which had been due to be fixed.
"We would not normally have pressed the train into service but in recent months two of our fleet of Class 170 trains have hit cows which had managed to stray on to the line," Mr Cooper added.
"Both trains were so badly damaged that they have required major repairs and been out of service."
He offered Mrs Wafula-Strike complimentary first class travel tickets by way of an apology.
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