Disabled activist claims she was left 'crying all night' after Eurostar 'forced her to prove her disability' as she travelled home from the Paralympics

A wheelchair user has claimed Eurostar staff prevented her from boarding a service from Paris to London after a 'petty power play'.

Sam Jennings, from Streatham, south London, says she queued for her train at Gare du Nord but was turned away because she did not have a ramp booked, despite her booking a wheelchair space checking in advance if she needed to take any further measures.

The disability activist, 46, who has been in a wheelchair since 2018, said staff asked her to present papers proving her disability - despite the fact that she was sitting in her electric wheelchair at the time.

Speaking to BBC London, Sam said Eurostar 'made a big song and dance' about supporting Paralympians and disabled fans on posters, but the reality was 'indifference'.

Her experience comes less than a month after gold-medal-winning Paralympian Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson said she had to crawl off a train at London's King's Cross station while travelling to the Paralympics after rail staff failed to come and help her.

After Sam was refused from the check in desk, she took to X, formerly Twitter, to voice her concern.

She wrote: '@Eurostar still being ridiculous - I booked the wheelchair space on a wheelchair priced fare for these trains and I've been refused check in by Eurostar because I haven't booked a ramp even though I explicitly asked is there anything else I need to do when I was here earlier.'

Sam later added: 'Why do we have to have an additional layer and task to travel with you to book a ramp? I've paid you for a wheelchair space, I know it's 2024 but wheelchairs can't levitate onto inaccessible trains yet. It should be automatically booked.'

The trainline apologised about the incident and later explained that her ramp booking was missed due to a human error.

MailOnline has contacted Eurostar for further comment.

A ramp was finally provided for Sam, but she said the experience left her in tears all night.

The activist added that her experience at the Paralympics was marred by her being 'seen as a nuisance' when travelling around Paris for the event.

She claimed travel difficulties weren't uncommon for those with disabilities when visiting the Games, with others telling her they missed events they had tickets for because 'the city was inaccessible'.

Talking on her website, called Disabled by the Railway, Sam said she endured over 30 assistance fails in the first 18 months of becoming a wheelchair user, leading her to discuss solutions at the House of Lords.

A Eurostar spokesperson told MailOnline: 'We sincerely apologise for the breakdown in communication and the distress caused during the passenger's journey. We have recognised that this human error, combined with miscommunication, has led to unnecessary anxiety and frustration.

'We apologise that the information given on X was incorrect and want to clarify that our policy has not changed. On our London routes, when a wheelchair space is reserved at least 24 hours in advance, there is no need to book a ramp separately through the contact centre.

'This is because the wheelchair booking is automatically flagged in our Eurostar Departure Control System, alerting the station to expect a passenger requiring a ramp. This process applies to journeys to or from London.

'Limited communication via social media led to initial misunderstandings about the issue, as the passenger did not want to be contacted via phone. Resolving this issue is our top priority, and we greatly appreciate the passenger's patience and valuable feedback as we work to improve our systems and enhance the overall experience.'

It comes after the head of Great Britain's Paralympic efforts has blasted LNER as 'an absolute disgrace' after Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson was forced to crawl off a train without help from staff.

The 11-time gold medalist, 55, said she arrived into London King's Cross station at around 10pm on 28 August and there were no workers there to assist her.

Lady Grey-Thompson waited for around 16 minutes for help leaving the London North Eastern Railway (LNER) train before she 'decided to crawl off'.

Great Britain's chef de mission at the Games, Penny Briscoe, fumed that the incident shows the 'reality' of daily living as a disabled person.

She told The Telegraph: 'Clearly, it's an absolute disgrace. But it's the lived experience of disabled people though on a daily basis, it just doesn't get reported.

'You should, as a disabled person, be able to get on and off a train and go about your daily living but the reality is far more difficult than that.

'There is an irony about this and it was a huge story.'

The wheelchair racing champion, who is now a House of Lords crossbench peer, was on the 7.45pm service and had praised rail staff who kept checking on whether or not she needed food.

The train got into the station just after 10pm, and she posted on X: 'Hey LNER my train has arrived at KGX and there is no one to get me off.'

She posted just minutes later, 'Cleaning crew are on board', followed by: 'Cleaning crew are now leaving the train!!!!'

The Baroness continued posting, desperately trying to find out who could help her.

She wrote: 'LNER who do I need to call to get off this train!!! It got to KGX 10 mins ago!!!!!'

At 10.24pm she said she'd had to crawl off the train.

She posted on X: 'Well I've just crawled off. 'At 22.17 (train got in at 22.02) I decided to crawl off. Had to move all my stuff onto the platform. Member of cleaning staff offered to help. They're not insured.'

Baroness Grey-Thompson said that she had been starting her journey to Paris for the Paralympics when the saga unfolded

But she said she has received backlash due to the incident with emails that say 'I should be at home. I shouldn't dare to travel without anyone else. And how dare I miss a train'.

She told Sky News: 'So it's interesting to see some of the attitudes towards disabled people that are still out there.'

Baroness Grey-Thompson responded to trolls on X and said: 'To the ableist people who have said I should stay at home, not work, not expect to travel on a bank holiday, not travel on my own…. Ummm not happening.'

She admitted she has also received a lot of support as 'lots of people have emailed me to say they've had problems across the whole train network'.

'The complaints they're making are not being responded to. They're being fobbed off. LNER are normally a lot better than this.

'I think that's why it's been shocking for a lot of people. But there is a problem with the whole network.'

But she is still angry at the entire experience. 'I've been put on a train. So, in my mind, there's a contract between me and the system that somebody knew that I was on a train,' Baroness Grey-Thompson said.

'But I'm lucky I can still get off the train. There are thousands of disabled people who can't do that and would have been stuck.

'I was thinking about pulling the emergency cord. I couldn't actually reach it. And that would have delayed the train going north. So, there's all these things going through your head.'

She confirmed she has received an apology from the chief executive of LNER.

LNER managing director David Horne said 'something has clearly gone wrong' and insisted the company would investigate what happened.

A spokesman said: 'We are sorry to understand there has been an issue at London King's Cross station on Monday evening.

'We are in the process of investigating this and are in contact with the customer directly.'