My car broke down but when I phoned AA they told me ‘we can’t prioritise lone women because that’s equality’

THE AA has been accused of putting women at risk after telling a customer gender equality rules prevent it from prioritising help for lone females.

Dr Helen Mott, 52, hit out after her car broke down on Wednesday as it was going dark.

She called the breakdown service to be told it could not help women faster because “that’s equality”.

The mum tweeted about it, provoking anger from other female motorists and an AA apology.

Dr Mott, of Bristol, told The Sun: “The operator gave me an estimated time which was knocking on for a couple of hours.

“I asked the call handler why they treated men and women the same and didn’t prioritise lone women. They said there’s no difference and they just said that’s equality. They’ve been trained to say it.”

Academic Dr Mott, picked up by an AA truck less than an hour later, complained online but was told she had been advised correctly.

Women’s safety campaigners criticised the company’s stance.

Sophie Francis-Cansfield, of Women’s Aid, said: “One woman is murdered by a man every three days in the UK. Priority must be given to ensuring women’s safety.”

After other members demanded clarification, AA president Edmund King said: “We use common sense and prioritise women but by the letter of the law we can’t say that.”

An AA spokeswoman commented: “We accept that the wording of our initial response wasn’t great and have apologised. In fact, we prioritise anyone at risk but more often than not it will be lone women.”