A woman with Crohn's disease has told how she has been denied access to accessible toilets by people who do not understand the condition, and has even been asked to "prove" she has a disability.

Victoria Danson was diagnosed with the chronic inflammatory bowel condition when she was 19, and is also undergoing treatment for a form of pancreatic cancer.

The 37-year-old from Chorley, Lancashire, is calling for businesses to better educate security staff on accessible toilets after a series of experiences where she was denied access.

"I should be able to enjoy a night out without being question. There needs to be more information available to these companies about who needs this and why they might need it," she said.

At the age of 24, Victoria was fitted with a stoma after an abscess in her bowel was removed.

The surgery left her struggling to walk and initially unable to eat.

This year, she said she had been to several music events where she had to "prove" that she needs to use the disabled toilets.

In July, she went to see the band Faithless at a venue in Salford.

Despite filling out information of her condition before the event she said she was denied entry to the accessible toilet as she did not have a wristband for the viewing platform for those with disabilities.

She escalated it to the head of security, but claimed they too denied her entry.

"I have spent the last 10 to 12 years making myself the healthiest that I can be," she said.

"You can't see what the daily challenges and things we have to do to have the confidence to even attend these events.

"I really want businesses to understand the damage that it can do to somebody."

Victoria said she was "confident and speaks about the condition a lot", but for someone less sure of themselves, encountering these kinds of attitudes could put them off attending social events for life.

At other events she said she had been asked to show security staff her stoma bag while in another case the disabled toilet was being used as a storage cupboard.

"There needs to be a lot more education around why people might need to use the toilet, what a stoma is, the urgency of people with Crohn's and colitis, the fact that we can't wait," she said.

"I feel really strongly about the fact that we should be able to go out and be able to enjoy a night or go somewhere without having to worry about being questioned."

In a statement, JBM Music, which organised the Faithless concert at Barton Aerodrome, said: "From our understanding after the event, the guidance provided to our security partner around wristbands and the accessible toilets at the viewing area wasn't briefed to the team on shift as thoroughly as it should have been.

"We're now reviewing this with our security partner."