PENSIONERS claim they have been forced to cancel day trips because a town council has banned their coach from using its car park.

People living at Rymans Court, in Britwell Road, Didcot, use the Wallingford-based Elizabeth Coach, run by volunteers, for holidays and excursions every month.

But access problems and overhanging trees mean the new £130,000 37-seater bus cannot reach their front door.

The OAPs asked Didcot Town Council for permission to use the nearby Civic Hall car park for 20 minutes once a month, to allow them to get on and off the bus safely.

But councillors refused, claiming the car park was not a public facility and they did not have the correct insurance.

Adele Harris, who organises the day trips for the pensioners – many of whom are disabled wheelchair users – said: “The residents think it’s ridiculous. They are saying they wouldn’t know what they would do without the trips.

“It’s a very valuable service, because the people are all elderly and don’t drive any more, and they can’t go anywhere.

“It’s not ideal using the Civic Hall car park, but it’s the second best thing because the coach can’t get down the road.

“We don’t want to park; we just want 10 minutes to load and then 10 minutes to drop off.

“I think they are being very silly about it.”

Twenty pensioners from Rymans Court were due to go on a five-day holiday to the Isle of Wight next week. Ian Ross, chairman of the Elizabeth Coach Trust, said 20 minutes a month was not too much to ask.

He said: “Most people wouldn’t ask for permission – they would just go and park.

“I can’t put into words how I feel about this.

“It’s nonsensical. We are providing a service and are adding quality to people’s lives.”

John Flood, leader of Didcot Town Council, promised to ask councillors to reverse the decision next week.

He said: “It’s not just them. We banned all coaches from the Civic Hall car park. It's not a public car park, it’s for the users of the Civic Hall.

“If we didn’t have it, we wouldn’t have weddings or conferences there. It would also cost us a fortune to insure anyone to use it.

“I don’t agree that they should cancel the trips, there are other places for the coach to go. It’s emotional blackmail.”

He added: “It’s not the council’s problem if there are overhanging trees. This is not a case of the big bad town council.”

Wantage MP Ed Vaizey said: “I fully support the Elizabeth Coach. This is a voluntary group providing a much-needed and much-loved service. Surely 20 minutes a month is not too much to ask? I have asked the town council to think again, and I hope they will.”