A transport company has apologised to the family of a meningitis victim after a breakdown left them without a wheelchair access bus.

First Leeds worked tirelessly to put two of their specialised low-floor buses back on the road after one broke down and the other needed to be serviced.

Lindsay Pollard, the mother of four-year-old Danielle Skilbeck, made a plea for the company to restore the Weston Park Estate with hopper buses, which are wheelchair and pushchair friendly.

For the past week the estate had been served by a larger regular bus, which did not have wheelchair access. They usually have two number W10 buses with wheelchair access.

A spokesman for First Leeds said: "One of the buses broke down and needed to be brought in for repair. So we had to put an ordinary bus on the route. Usually we have a spare low-floor bus to replace it, but that was in for its MOT.

"We apologise to the family and any customers who may have been inconvenienced. The bus is now back in operation."

The 20-year-old had struggled with her double pushchair on the normal bus.

"There had been two buses serving the estate which you could not get a pushchair or wheelchair on," she said.

"The drivers are always helpful and help you to get on, but we need buses which have the ability to lower themselves and which have a slope so it is easy to get on.

"The replacement buses had steps and it was very difficult to get onto them. Especially as I have a young child and a disabled youngster.

"People on the estate rely on the bus and it is very hard for me to get Danielle on to the other buses."

Danielle lost her hands and her lower legs after contracting the meningitis in July.

First Leeds ensured that the service was back in operation with the low-floor buses by Christmas Eve.

Councillor Nigel Francis said: "Hopefully in future any problems will be resolved by the bus initiative.

"Where some of the curbs in Otley will be raised to help disabled people and people with pushchairs and prams to be able to get onto any bus.

"We are hoping it will be implemented in the town in March."