Dentist forced to treat 99-year-old woman in the street - because council bosses won't let him install a ramp

Banned: Council bosses refused to let a dental surgery install a stairlift in the Grade II listed building

A dentist was forced to treat a wheelchair-bound 99-year-old woman in the street - because town hall planners said making disabled access would ruin the historic surgery.

Frail Mary Hedges had to be given a full check over in a busy shopping precinct because the bureaucrats said a ramp or stairlift would not be in keeping with the Grade II Listed building.

The pensioner said she hated the indignity of having her teeth examined with people staring at her.

The practicality of having the oral examination outside the Daventry Dental Practice in the Northamptonshire town meant she could not be treated properly and was suffering from toothache afterwards.

She said: 'It was very embarrassing and I was really angry about it.

'There were a lot of people walking past when the dentist checked my teeth but he was only doing his best in a bad situation.

'The work's only half done now because he couldn't do a proper job in the street.

'I've got a bit of pain in my teeth but it's not too bad and I'm just going to put up with it now.'

There have also been complaints from other patients.

Susan Smith took her two-year-old daughter Ruby Bowyer, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, to the dentist, only to be faced with an impossible climb up the stairs.

Dr Resh Diu, from the practice, said every effort had been made to try to improve patient access.

He said: 'Conservation officers need to live a little more in the real world.

'We looked at putting in a ramp for the front steps but that would be too long. We asked about a stairlift but that would involve altering the door.

'We even offered to put in a handrail that we could remove when we leave, but because it would alter the appearance of the building we weren't allowed.'

Tony Gillet, Daventry District Council's manager of environmental protection, said: 'By law it is up to service providers to ensure their services are fully accessible.

'Historic buildings should not be altered where that would harm their character.'