Paul Wood, who has Bipolar disorder and OCD, had been claiming Disability Living Allowance and was recently reassessed for its replacement, the Personal Independence Payment.

But the automated booking system gave him an appointment outside his home city of Oxford, when very limited public transport was running, and he was forced to hitchhike, he told BBC Radio 4's You and Yours.

The Department for Work and Pensions says if a claimant has difficulty attending an appointment they can rearrange the time and the venue, but not everyone is aware of the rules.