Bristol City Council are investigating reports of taxis refusing to pick up a mother and her disabled daughter in a story which has been branded “disgraceful” by industry insiders.

Karen Tilley and Josselin, 11, had caught a train from Westbury in Wiltshire for a night out at the theatre in Bristol but when they tried to get a vehicle to take them from the station to the theatre they were rejected.

Ms Tilley said when she approached drivers with wheelchair adapted cars at Temple Meads station, they drove away or shut their windows.

Changes in the Equality Act mean from this April it is an offence for vehicles who have registered with their licensing authority as able to take wheelchairs to refuse to transport a disabled passenger or try to charge them extra.

Ms Tilley said she was “humiliated” after she approached a number of taxis at the station and they refused to respond to her.

She said another taxi driver in the ranks stepped in to help her and she claims he told her that “he sees it all the time and he was embarrassed by what he had seen”.

Ms Tilley said when they left the show they experienced the same reaction from taxi drivers waiting outside the theatre.

She said the drivers who “saw how cold and distressed my daughter was, just didn’t care”.

Matt Kendall, Chief Executive of zoom.taxi which works with PHV companies, said:

“The attitude displayed by these drivers is disgraceful and reflects badly on the whole industry. I am confident they are in a minority in the industry.

Nevertheless, less abled people are more reliant on minicabs and taxis because of their mobility issues and this is why these anti discrimination laws were brought in.

“There is no excuse for a vehicle saying they are wheelchair adapted to leave a child and her mother distressed and in the cold. It was not long ago Bristol’s drivers were protesting about perceived unfair rules: this behaviour will do them no favours. I hope those responsible are dealt with accordingly by Bristol City Council.”

In a statement Bristol City Council said: “If proven to be true, this behaviour is completely unacceptable and falls well below what the council expects of its registered taxi drivers.

“All our Hackney Carriages are wheelchair accessible and any refusal by drivers will not be tolerated.”