A PHOTOGRAPHIC shop in Bournemouth has paid a disabled man £500 because he could not get into its premises.

Michael Gorse, of Dales Drive, Wimborne, who uses a wheelchair, visited Jessops in the Square in Bournemouth in January to buy an ink cartridge.

He found he was unable to get down the steps into the shop and looked around for a means of attracting attention but the bell had been vandalised.

Unable to find any way of summoning help, Mr Gorse, 61, was left waiting at the door hoping to be noticed.

He said: "The shop was quite busy and none of the shop assistants noticed me so I had to shout which was quite embarrassing.

"An assistant came out and I asked them where the disabled access was and he told me to go to the store at Castlepoint."

Mr Gorse then wrote numerous letters to the Jessops shop in Bournemouth and to the head office.

He said: "I was sending them every two or three weeks recorded delivery but they were all ignored.

"Eventually I contacted the Disability Rights Commission and they got in contact with the shop."

A meeting was set up by the commission between Mr Gorse and Jessops.

Mr Gorse, who had polio when he was seven and has been in a wheelchair for the last five years, said: "They apologised and offered me a £500 voucher. But the best thing was that we looked at some plans of the shop and I made some suggestions about how they could improve the access.

"They have said they will write to me with in three months telling me what improvements they have planned and that they will carry these out within a year.

"Hopefully this will improve things for the many wheelchair users like me."

A spokesman for Jessops said: "We pride ourselves on our excellent record in ensuring appropriate access to stores for all our customers.

"Unfortunately on this occasion we haven't lived up to the high standard we set ourselves, and our apologies go to Mr Gorse."