Following the findings from BBC London, which showed that numerous high street restaurant chains were inaccessible to wheelchair users, I would like to call for more pressure to be placed on businesses who fail to provide provisions for the disabled.

As CEO of The British Polio Fellowship, a charity that supports and empowers those living with the late effects of polio and post polio syndrome (PPS) in the UK, it’s part of my duty to ensure our members’ rights are not going unserved.

In what is often referred to as a wheelchair accessible nation it is still apparent more needs to be done to ensure businesses are adhering to the Equality Act, which obliges organisations to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people.

Well-known, successful high street chains named in the study included some of the nation’s favourite coffee bars, and our national postal service provider (the latter reportedly making a wheelchair user carry out a financial transaction in the street) and quite frankly you would expect better from established businesses like these.

While all those involved, with the exception of one, apologised and pledged to improve their disabled access, the Government needs to do more to ensure equality laws are adhered to completely.

With London recently making a further £75m available to make its Underground system more accessible, it seems that businesses should play their part and ensure wheelchair users aren’t left in the cold.

Ted Hill MBE CEO, The British Polio Fellowship