Guide Dogs: Row over guide dog in a taxi is being investigated by Council

Carol Gradwell, who has been partially sighted since birth, uses four-year-old golden labrador Wenna to navigate daily life.

>>>This is the Guide Dog puppy named after a Blackpool Gran

On March 24, she claims a driver from St Anne’s-based Whiteside Taxi's refused to allow Wenna into his vehicle, even after she pointed out the law.

Whiteside Taxi's dispute Mrs Gradwell's version of events and the matter will now go before Fylde Borough Council’s Public Protection Committee meeting later this month.

What does Mrs Gradwell say?

Mrs Gradwell, who has no vision in her left eye and only 10 per cent in her right eye, ordered a taxi to take her to Lytham Primary Care Centre.

She says she regularly used the company and had made the operator aware of Wenna.

She said she was surprised when the the driver arrived at her home in Ansdell and didn't make any attempt ask where she wanted Wenna.

She claims he told her he only took small dogs and wouldn't have Wenna on the back seat.

Mrs Gradwell said: "I said Wenna was too big to go in the front passenger footwell and asked for her to go on the back seat, but he refused.

"I said to him, 'you do realise you're breaking the law? She's a service dog'.

"But he just said I'm sorry. He wouldn't back down."

Mrs Gradwell said she was forced to call for another taxi.

She said: "I was really upset. This shouldn't be happening now. The Disability Discrimination Act has been around for 20-odd years."

The former non-excectuve director of Blackpool Teaching Hospital, added: "I want Whiteside’s to acknowledge I was upset by it. I never got an apology or an acknowledgement. And I want them to be aware, so this doesn't happen again.

"It's put me off using taxi's to be honest."

What do the company say?

The company say Mrs Gradwell's version of events is incorrect.

Manager Stuart Miller said: "The driver didn’t refuse to take the Guide Dog – the driver refused to let her have the dog on the back seat with her.

"He told her the dog could be in the footwell or in the boot of the estate vehicle."

Mr Miller states that information from Guide Dogs UK says that service dogs have been trained to sit in the footwell.

He added that Mrs Gradwell’s back seat request was “inconsiderate”, stating: “The driver would then have had to go off the road to remove dog hairs from the back seat before being able to continue working."

What is the law?

The Equality Act (2010) protects the rights of people with disabilities, and spells out businesses' obligations to them.

Under Part 12, it is made clear that is is illegal for taxis or minicabs to refuse service to people with assistance dogs.

However, if drivers are able to provide proof of a medical condition which prevents them from going near dogs, exemptions are available.

The council

The matter will be discussed by the council on November 16.

A spokesman said: “At this time we cannot comment further on this particular case, except to state that as a Council we are committed to the value of equality, and that this incident will be treated with all due gravity.”

Guide Dogs UK

Research by Guide Dogs UK found that 76 per cent of guide dog owners have been refused access to a business or service at some point.