A blind grandmother was left distressed after she was refused entry to her local Morrisons Daily store with her guide dog, as the owner claims to suffer from "severe pet allergies."
Caroline Kennelly, 54, who has just three per cent vision, said she was fighting back tears after being turned away from the newly opened branch in Canterbury, Kent.
The store has three signs warning shoppers that no pets are allowed, Kent Online reports.
Despite equality laws permitting assistance dogs, the franchisee has vowed to continue banning them. Employers are required to take reasonable steps to ensure workers with allergies "have minimal or no contact" with dogs, but this does not extend to prohibiting guide dogs.
The shop owner's stance also contradicts Morrisons' head office, which stated that the dispute "should not have happened" and that they are working to resolve the situation.
The store opened on Monday, February 24, and Ms Kennelly said she was looking forward to visiting with her guide dog, Dougie, as it was safer than crossing a busy road to access other shops in the area.
She recalled: “I told Dougie to go forward through the door and, as I walked in, the man behind the counter said, ‘No dogs’.
“Dougie was in his full harness and working equipment, and I said, ‘No, I'm not leaving’.
“I stood there in disbelief. I'm saying to him, ‘You are breaking the law - you are not allowed to deny me access here’ and he wouldn’t listen.”
Ms Kennelly said the worker refused to back down, even as she explained her circumstances.
She added: “I was nearly in tears but I was trying to hold it together. You can stand your ground and say I'm not leaving, but inside you are in pieces because it's intimidating and it's discriminating.
“I'm a very strong person, but when things like this happen it really does affect you. I wonder if I’m going to get another refusal somewhere else - it dents your confidence."
Ms Kennelly was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa at the age of 11, meaning she has no peripheral vision and cannot see details beyond a few feet away. She has been registered blind since 2003.
In the end, a friend stepped in to buy the items she needed, but the incident left her distressed.
Charity Guide Dogs has supported Ms Kennelly following her clash with the Morrisons branch.
Clive Wood, campaign manager at Guide Dogs, said: "We are very disappointed to hear of yet another business refusing access to a visually impaired person because they were accompanied by their guide dog.
"Every access refusal experienced by a guide dog owner is devastating and chips away at their confidence.
"Assistance dogs are classed as a ‘reasonable adjustment’ in the law, as they help people with disabilities carry out day-to-day activities. Refusing to make a reasonable adjustment is against equality law across the UK and Northern Ireland.”
Mr Wood added that despite the law being clear on guide dogs, 88 per cent of guide dog owners reported being turned away from businesses and services in the last year.
A Morrisons spokesperson said: "Everyone is welcome at Morrisons and so we have followed up with the store directly as this should not have happened.
“We are also reaching out to the customer directly to apologise. The Morrisons Daily store in Canterbury is a franchise store and we are working closely with the team there to find a solution."
Kent Online reports that after they made enquiries, the shop’s manager doubled down on the guide dog ban due to the owner's allergies. They said a staff member could carry out Ms Kennelly's shopping if requested.
