A disabled woman was told by an Asda security guard she could not bring her service dog in and was banned from every store.
The security guard at the branch told Elanor Maxey that she wanted to see ID or a dog licence to enter the store in Bexleyheath, southeast London.
Elanor posted footage of the incident to TikTok and explained that assistance dogs are not legally required to have a licence.
Elanor says her and her dog Genie were banned from every Asda store in the country.
Sharing the interaction with the security guard online, Elanor wrote on Sunday: ‘Today Genie and I have now been officially banned from every Asda in Britain simply because I didn’t present her “Service ID” (something that doesn’t exist).
‘I also was asked for my dog licence… something that hasn’t ever existed within my lifetime.
‘They also claim I was rude (it’s all recorded) and breached the Data Protection Act by recording staff.
‘I was in more of a state as I already was dizzy which is why I was popping in just for a sandwich. because of this, I am just so thankful there were some brave people who tried to advocate for me and while the store ignored them it’s wonderful to know there are kind people who will speak up when they see human rights being violated.’
According to the Equality Act, it is unlawful to refuse access to a disabled person accompanied by an assistance dog except in the most exceptional circumstances.
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Only a court can decide whether a refusal of service or access is unlawful, this would be highly dependent on the specific facts and circumstances of a particular case.
An Asda spokesperson told Metro Elanor’s ban has been rescinded and said: ‘We have apologised to Ms Maxey for her experience at our Bexleyheath store.
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‘This falls short of the welcoming culture we strive for at Asda.
‘We are clear that assistance dogs are welcome in all of our stores, and we will be reminding our colleagues of this policy as a matter of urgency.’
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