A disabled war veteran has been banned from taking his mobility scooter on a train - because it is 25cm too long. Russell Faye, 73, who relies on his scooter to get about, was told he cannot take it on the train when he tried to take his wife Gwyneth, 63, on a day trip. Staff at Barnstaple station told Russell to leave his £4,000 Kymco maxi scooter behind, but warned there was nowhere secure to store it.

Former Army nurse Russell, who struggles to walk because of severe back pain, said he felt literally ‘’trapped’’ by the ban. Russell, who served as an Army medic for 22 years, said: ‘’I just wanted to have a different picture for once. I feel trapped here; there is no way I can get out.

‘’I could use a wheelchair, but I am not having my wife push me around all day. She is getting older too and that’s not right.

‘’my scooter is not particularly special, so if I can’t use the train, I’m sure other people can’t. Who has a scooter that can fold away?’’

Russell, from Barnstaple, Devon, served with the royal Army medical corps in Malaya, Borneo and Hong Kong.

Train operator First Great Western said his scooter cannot be granted a licence to travel on the train because it falls outside their size restrictions. The scooters must be smaller than 70cm wide, 120cm long and weigh no more than 300kg - which is much smaller that the majority of scooters on the market. Russell’s scooter is 145cm in length - just 25cm too long.

First Great Western, which runs the train between Barnstaple and Exeter, had a blanket ban on all mobility scooters, which has now been lifted. John Blacker, First Great Western mobility and inclusion manager, said new guidelines came into force on October 24.

A spokesperson for disability charity Scope said: ‘’many disabled people face significant challenges when they use public transport.

‘’While a decision to accept some mobility scooters is a step in the right direction, we’d have to ask what alternative arrangements have been made for people who fall foul of the permit system.

‘’All transport companies should be actively looking at ways to make it easier for their disabled customers to use their services.

‘’And, along with the Government, they should be working with disabled people to reduce the barriers that stop them using the rail network as freely as they would like.’’