Facing an impossible hurdle...Margaret Vaughan in Kells with Cllr Frankie Lynch.

A Kells wheelchair-user has claimed she is practically a prisoner in her own home because the footpaths in the town are so inaccessible.

Margaret Vaughan said she cannot get her wheelchair up onto most of the footpaths in Kells and is forced to take lengthy detours to get from her home in Taylor Hall into the town.

In fact, unless she has someone to help her, she cannot get to the library - a real problem for her as she loves to read - and is unable to get to the bank, the church or her children's schools.

She has brought her plight to the attention of Cllr Frankie Lynch, who has put down a motion for next week's meeting of Kells Town Council, calling for a survey of accessibility of footpaths in the town, with a view to improving access.

"The kerbs are too high and the steps up to them are too high. It is impossible for a wheelchair-user to get around Kells," he said. "Carrick Street is particularly bad, so is Lord Edward Street, Cross Street and Market Square."

He went on: "It is very difficult for anyone with a disability, whether in wheelchairs or using walking aids, to get up on the footpaths and it is also a problem for people with buggies."

Cllr Lynch said there should also be more parking bays for people with disabilities as there were none in areas where they were needed, like beside chemists or doctors' surgeries.

To read the full story see this week's Meath Chronicle.