Electric wheelchairs are an ideal solution for many and allow greater freedom and independence. That is of course until the battery runs out and you are left stranded, this time in the snow and icy conditions.

However, this woman was in luck as Firefighters were soon on the scene and went the extra mile to help the Doncaster woman stranded in the snow in her wheelchair.

The blue watch crew received the call that stated someone was stranded in their electric wheelchair near the Moorends are of Doncaster.

Moments later to the wheelchair user’s delight, the fire crew arrived and checked she was ok before attempting the long push home.

A spokesman for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said: "Firefighters pushed her the quarter of a mile in the snow to her home and made sure she was safe and well."

If you use an electric wheelchair or powerchair I’m sure that you are always mindful of the battery life to avoid this type of incident. However when temperatures drop as low as they have been in the UK recently it is important to remember that wheelchair batteries do not last as long in low temperatures, particularly when they are sub zero.

There is not much that can be done to avoid this or to extend the batter life, so we suggest that you allow for battery performance deterioration and expect your electric wheelchair battery to last approximately half as long in these bitterly cold conditions.

Ideally stay put warm at home but if you need to go out in your powerchair then please make allowances and only expect half performance from your wheelchair battery until the temperatures increase to normal springtime conditions.