Ilkley Labour MP Ann Cryer is calling on local shops to embrace disabled people's spending in response to a new report by Scope, the disability charity, which shows that businesses are failing disabled customers.

The report, called 'Left Out' and based on a survey of more than 500 businesses, found that 74 per cent of them posed one or more entry problems for disabled customers.

But shopkeepers in Ilkley say they could face major structural and financial difficulties in trying to provide full disabled access.

According to the Scope report, steps were discovered to be the most common

barrier followed by buildings without lifts, automatic doors, ramps, inaccessible toilets and patronising staff. Services surveyed included shops, banks, pubs, clubs and restaurants.

Mrs Cryer said: "Scope's report clearly highlights that many disabled customers are still barred from hundreds of businesses, yet sometimes only small changes are needed. Our town centre can only benefit from making improvements.

With 8.6 million people in Britain representing a business market of millions of pounds I would encourage businesses to embrace the disabled pound by ensuring that their services can properly be accessed by disabled customers."

But David Giddings, a spokesman for Ilkley Business Forum, told the Gazette that some shops built many years ago would need major changes to provide full disabled access. And he called for grants for businesses which needed structural alterations.

"Some doorways are more awkward than others but that is sometimes not the fault of people who are running the shop. Many were built years ago," said Mr Giddings.

He said that trade this year had been slack for a number of reasons and many shopkeepers could not afford to fork out for building work.

Nick Waines, Mr Giddings's partner at Opulent Designs on The Grove, said: "Because of the way they are built it would mean shops would have to alter their frontage - it would not just be slight adjustments it would mean major alterations."

Even if grants were provided for businesses to improve disabled access in Ilkley, many of the changes could fall foul of planning laws and conservation groups wanting to maintain the character and charm of the town, said Mr Giddings.

"It does not mean that people in shops are not wanting to trade with disabled people but it could be awkward. I think people in general try their best because they don't want to throw away trade," Mr Giddings said.

But he said that business people would welcome any help which would increase the number of customers.

Left Out is the result of a nationwide campaign by Scope to make Britain more accessible to disabled people. The report also makes recommendations for and examples of, good practice for businesses, designers, architects, retailers, banks and the leisure industry.