A BLIND father of two was left humiliated and angry after being refused entry to an Oxford restaurant because he was with his guide dog.

Paul Goodwin, from Carterton, went into Angrid Thai in George Street for lunch with a friend last Thursday when he was repeatedly told he could not sit and eat while with his dog.

Mr Goodwin said: “There’s a point where you just feel like bursting into tears. It feels really nasty.

“My dog is like a mobile phone is to some people. Not having her would be like having an arm removed.”

Mr Goodwin was diagnosed with Choroideremia - a rare inherited disorder that causes progressive vision loss - when he was a child. About five years ago his condition began to deteriorate and he is now registered as legally blind.

The 48-year-old, who works in customer service at Oxfordshire County Council, entered Angrid Thai at lunchtime last Thursday with a friend and his five-year-old brown Labrador Molly.

He said that when he entered the restaurant, staff politely told him there were no dogs allowed. After explaining that Molly was a guide dog, he was told the same thing again.

Despite handing over an information card explaining the rights of guide dog owners, Mr Goodwin said staff continued to turn him away.

Mr Goodwin called the police, after which he said the staff offered him a table by the door, which he described as ‘adding insult to injury’.

He added: “It seems to be happening more and more frequently. It’s the result of a lack of awareness and I find it very frustrating.”

Yure Nasthat, who was working as a waitress in the Angrid Thai on the day Mr Goodwin was refused entry, told the Oxford Mail: “It was a misunderstanding. We have a no dogs policy and we didn’t know he was blind or that it was a guide dog.

“When we realised we told them to sit down but he was not happy with that and did not want to stay to eat.”

Though not responsible for the enforcement of access rights, Oxford City Council recently sent information leaflets provided by charity Guide Dogs to about 800 food businesses in Oxford.

Andrew Smith MP has been supporting a campaign by Guide Dogs to increase awareness of the law.

He said: “It’s appalling that yet again we see this happening in a restaurant in Oxford and it underlines the importance for all restaurant managers, staff, and all premises open to the public to respect people’s basic human rights.”

Guide Dogs for the Blind say almost half of guide dog owners surveyed have experienced access refusals in the last year.

Under the Equality Act 2010 owners of registered, qualified assistance dogs have the right to enter restaurants, cafes, pubs and other food premises with their assistance dogs.

Adjustments should be made to‘no dogs’ policies.