THE Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane went on a mobility scooter to raise awareness of the everyday problems faced by people with disabilities.

Borough mayor Councillor Tony Jones visited shops in Festival Place and The Malls, Basingstoke, facilities at Basingstoke Leisure Park and community centres around the borough to put disability awareness to the test.

The event was in support of International Day for Disabled People, which takes place every year to highlight the problems of access for people with disabilities.

Cllr Jones said: "Many people using mobility aids such as wheelchairs, walking frames and guide dogs need space to manoeuvre in public places.

"At Christmas, walkways are often clogged with extra displays of gifts and other tempting products and this severely restricts manoeuvring space."

Marks & Spencer, in Festival Place, was at the top of the mayor's list of places to visit.

Store manager Sarah Geffens said: "The entrance to our food court gives easy access not only to Marks & Spencer, but also to Festival Place as a whole. We have wide aisles, low checkouts and plenty of staff on hand to help wherever they are needed."

Milestones, Hampshire's living history museum in the leisure park, also proved accessible.

Manager Andrea Kerr said: "We keep four mobility scooters permanently on site at the museum and I am pleased to say that they have proved to be a great success.

"The mayor gave us a rigorous test and seemed to be pleased with the measures we have taken to make Milestones easily accessible for disabled people."