A 10-year-old schoolgirl amputee has been told she is not disabled enough to receive benefits.
Olivia Porter lost her right leg below the knee after suffering meningitis in 2003. She has a prosthetic limb, but still struggles to walk.
The little girl - who lives with her aunt after her 21-year-old mum died in 2002 - had been given an allowance of £300 a month to pay for petrol to enable her aunt to drive her to hospital appointments.
But the benefit was stopped after officials called Olivia's school to assess the severity of her disability.
Olivia's aunt Sheryl Robertson, who also cares for Olivia's sisters Beth, 13, and Georgia, 12, as well as her own two children, said: 'I'm being told Olivia is not disabled enough to qualify for the allowance. It's diabolical. How disabled do you have to be? She can't catch a ball or ride a bike.I am outraged the decision was made after the Department for Work and Pensions phoned Olivia's teacher.'
Olivia's said: 'My false leg hurts me quite a bit and I have to take it off. It's tough getting out of the bath and it's difficult running around because I fall over.'
The family are appealing against the Department for Work and Pensions decision to stop the benefit.
What do you think about this story?
Do you think £300 a month was too much?
Or should the family be given help to cover petrol costs for hospital visits?
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