I HEARD this week from a reader of a nightmare visit to Churchill Square, which she found seriously lacking in any consideration for those with any form of physical disability.

She was recently unfortunate enough to break her leg in two places and is either in a wheelchair for long trips or on crutches with no weight-bearing on her injured leg for short forays, for example to visit the lavatory.

She and her husband went to Churchill Square, parked comfortably in the underground car park and headed for the totally-inadequate glass-sided lift.

There were several mums with buggies waiting for this ludicrously slow means of transport to the upper floors and, since it can take so few people on each trip, especially mums with buggies, they had a long wait to get on board. As far as she is aware, this is the only lift available.

They eventually managed to get to the top floor where, after a coffee and a visit to the toilets, they headed for the lift to go back down to the shopping area. They found the lift had got stuck some inches below the floor and the doors would not open.

Those inside could not get out and those outside could not get in. They had visions of being permanently corralled on the top floor since the escalator was clearly not an option.

Eventually, they settled for the emergency exit down a ramp which was so steep and narrow that her husband found himself in serious danger of getting a hernia as he manoeuvred the chair down the slope, tilting it back at a dangerous angle to get round the bends.

When eventually they got back to the ground floor, they set off for the Debenhams store, only to find quite a steep slope up to the shop on a floor which appears to be lethal in wet weather.

The reverse journey is even more of a problem since you appear to be heading straight for the escalator down the slope. She uttered fervent prayers to her consort to hang on tight and felt it was a good thing they had not had an argument over the coffee!

Now, admittedly, she would not have discovered all these things had she been in her usual rude health, except perhaps the lethal floor covering.

But it takes a normally fit person by surprise when they discover the difficulties confronting the infirm and even those who are just getting on in years.

The absence of lifts seems to be a real problem, if it is correct that the glass affair is the only one. I know there are lifts in some of the shops but they do not go to the top floor, where the food court is situated, along with the toilets.

Churchill Square is not on my usual itinerary but I may have to visit it only for the purposes of research, unless the general manager cares to get in touch to refute the report from my informant.

On a totally different tack, no one can be unaware of the problems regarding the cleanliness of the town facing Sita, for whose lackadaisical approach I hold no brief whatsoever.

But I would like to see all those who complain so loudly to put their hands on their hearts and swear they had never dropped as much as a fag end, let alone a bottle or a takeaway container.

If people didn't create the filthy mess there would be no problem.