A WOMAN turned away from a bowling alley in Oxford for being a traveller threatened legal action yesterday.

It came despite chain firm Bowlplex issuing an apology for the Friday night incident, into which it has launched an internal investigation.

As revealed by the Oxford Mail yesterday, the firm began its probe after an exchange between women and two contracted door staff on Friday night was captured on video.

Irish traveller Roseanne Gallagher, 22, and her friends were at the Ozone Leisure Park venue, next to Oxford United’s Kassam Stadium, for a birthday, but were told they weren’t allowed in because they were travellers.

Miss Gallagher’s video showed one of the door staff saying: “We have had problems with travellers, I am being honest with you.

"Bowlplex, not me, have banned all travellers from being in here.”

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has said the incident could have been a case of race discrimination. Miss Gallagher said she would take the issue “all the way”.

She said: “We want to take them to court. The security guard was doing his job, but we also think the management are to blame.”

A Bowlplex spokesman said in a statement: “Bowlplex would like to apologise unreservedly to anyone that has been caused offence by these comments and re-iterate that no such policy exists.”

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