DISABLED passengers, mums with pushchairs and elderly travellers who struggle to walk now have better access to Laindon Station.

Two lifts have been installed to provide step-free access to the London-bound platform for the first time.

The £2million scheme, including a new footbridge off Station Approach, has been funded through the Goverment’s Access to All programme, which aims to make the railway more user friendly for mobility-impaired passengers.

Disabled groups have long campaigned for lifts at the station, which had been off limits to people in wheelchairs and parents with pushchairs wishing to use the London-bound track.

Billericay and Basildon MP John Baron , who helped to get the lifts, said: “They will make a real and positive difference.”

Mum of two Louise Shaw, 37, of Kings Road, Laindon said: “I always stayed clear of Laindon and used Basildon station if I was travelling alone because I knew I wouldn’t be able to get my pushchair up the footbridge. These lifts have been a long time coming, but it’s great news.”

Julian Drury, managing director of c2c, which operates the Southend to London line, said: “The lifts are the latest in a series of upgrades to our stations and I know they will prove a popular addition with customers.”