GAZETTE & HERALD:ANGRY mother Joanne Simpkins, 32, has been forced to stop shopping at the new Morrisons store because it got rid of the special trolleys she needs for her disabled daughter Danielle.

Ms Simpkins, of Broomfield, Chippenham, whose seven-year-old daughter Danielle has Rett Syndrome, was furious when she went to Morrisons, which has taken over the Safeway store in West Cepen Way, and found the special needs trolleys which used to be supplied by Safeway, had been taken away.

"I was so shocked and angry I was nearly in tears," said Ms Simpkins.

"They didn't offer me any help to do my shopping. I felt I was being turned away."

The mum and daughter enjoyed taking their shopping trip because it was a special job they could do together.

Danielle, who attends St Nicholas School, suffers from a complex neurological disorder that mainly affects girls. It is present at birth and becomes more evident in the second year, leaving sufferers profoundly disabled and highly dependent on others for their needs throughout their lives.

Danielle is very mobile but unable to talk, and because she has no sense of safety and danger needs constant and careful supervision.

Safeway had special shopping trolleys with a padded seat, five point safety harness and two handles which Ms Simpkins, used when she took her daughter shopping. But on her first trip to the new Morrisons she was dismayed to find the trolleys were no longer available.

"I was told they got rid of all the trolleys from Safeways," Ms Simpkin said.

"I asked if I could speak to the manager. He came up and asked what the problem was and said they didn't have the trolleys yet. I would have thought someone would have thought of this we had to come home without shopping I was really upset and embarrassed."

She said the management at Morrisons said they had no idea when they might get the replacement trolley nor did they take a name and address to let her know when a suitable trolley had been delivered.

Ms Simpkin later went shopping at Sainsbury's, which is much further from her home, but their disabled trolley had been vandalised.

They did, however, offer her the services of a store assistant to help her get her shopping done with Danielle.

Ian Foster, manager at the new Morrisons store, confirmed the special trolleys had been taken away with all the other Safeway trolleys.

"We will get another two trolleys of this type," he said. "I can't say how long it will take, but we will make sure it is as quick as possible."

Ms Simpkin, a single mother, said life was already a challenge, taking care of Danielle, working part-time as a hairdresser in a salon in Corsham, and studying at Wiltshire College Chippenham.

She had hoped to take a degree in Early Years after gaining a student diploma in Pre School Practice but was unable to do so because of the demands placed upon her by caring for Danielle, who needs constant one to one attention.

It took over a year for Ms Simpkins to get a correct diagnosis of her daughter's condition.

At first doctors thought she was autistic but a genetic test finally revealed Danielle had the syndrome, which is believed to be the second most common cause of severe and profound learning disability in girls.

A large proportion of people who have Rett Syndrome have a mutation, or fault on a gene on the X chromosome.