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A petition started after a "heartbreaking" incident where an elderly woman left in tears struggling to walk down steps has gained nearly 1,000 signatures.

The plea, calling for step-free access to all Harrow stations to help "struggling elderly, the disabled and young parents with buggies", has gained traction since its launch four weeks ago.

The change.org petition is calling for South Harrow, West Harrow, Rayners Lane and North Harrow stations to become more accessible.

It was set up by senior IT consultant and Harrow resident, Kuha Kumaran, after helping a lady "panicking" at South Harrow underground station.

He told getwestlondon: "One time I met an elderly lady, about 85 years old, in tears at South Harrow, she was panicking as she couldn't get down the steps so I helped her - it took 15 minutes.

"That was the trigger for this petition. There's 40 steps there, it's heartbreaking."

(Image: Kuha Kumaran)

Every time Kuha goes to a station in Harrow, he claims he spends 10 minutes or so helping elderly people get up the stairs and from one platform to another.

He added: "The situation get only get worse as we have an aging population, who have fought for us during the war - they can't drive around so rely on public transport, but have difficulty accessing public transport - it's non-compliant with the Disability Act.

"The elderly and people with buggies can't go to South Harrow, North Harrow, West Harrow, and Rayners Lane.

"Step free access is very much needed in Harrow for better community cohesion."

(Image: Kuha Kumaran)

The petition encourages the community to "work together" to get lifts or escalators installed.

The online petition states: "London Underground should be accessible to all.

"We cannot wait for too long, the longer we wait, the longer people will struggle."

Transport for London has not responded to request for comment.

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