THE mother of a severely disabled Leyland woman has slammed county council chiefs for failing to inform her that her daughter's transport escort faced the axe.

Pam Hitchin, of Merlin Grove, off Slater Lane, Leyland, says she wasn't told that the Lancashire County Council-provided companion was to be replaced.

And she fears that the sudden change of escort for the door-to-door taxi service could cause her daughter Cheryl, 22, to suffer a massive epileptic fit.

She said: "There has been no consultation or information about how this will affect the people they are catering for and parents were given no advanced warning.

"Cheryl and the other people who use this service have very severe disabilities and special needs. Something like this is a big thing for them and can upset them very much.

"My daughter needs continuity and a change like this could bring on a very bad fit. The special wheelchair lift transport service operates on a weekday basis for young adults with severe disabilities. It collects people from their homes and takes them to various special schools and centres across the area.

But Pam complained that the escort provided with the service has been erratic and only settled down at Christmas last year, when a woman was recruited.

She says the person will soon be swapped for another Lancashire County Council escort employee who has been with the service for 25 years.

Pam added: "I have nothing against this new woman but Cheryl has just built up trust with one person and now they're getting someone new. Lancashire County Council provide a service which we use and are glad to have but, at the end of the day, it's like they are saying that we have to accept all that they throw at us."

"They should have told us that they were making changes."

A spokesperson for Lancashire County Council said the parents were given two weeks notice that a new escort was due to begin in May.