Daily Mail
Wetherspoon pubs could be breaking the law after insisting visually-impaired woman showed photo ID for her assistance dog, equality group says
By DAVID OLASEINDE
Published: 05:08 EST, 7 February 2026 | Updated: 07:39 EST, 7 February 2026
Wetherspoon pubs are facing claims they broke the law after requiring a visually impaired woman to produce photo ID for her assistance dog, according to an equality group.
The firm introduced a policy in May last year to ask anyone desiring admission with a dog to produce identification from a charity called Assistance Dogs UK (ADUK).
Megan Stephenson, who is visually impaired and has an ADUK ID card, said she felt humiliated when bar staff asked her for her identification when she visited a Wetherspoon pub on three occasions between May and September last year.
Wetherspoon said it believed its policy, which was an adjustment to its usual 'no dogs' rule, complied with the law and was reasonable after they had taken legal advice.
Wetherspoons' official policy states that they only permit 'trained guide dogs' and 'assistance dogs with accredited training from Assistance Dogs UK (ADUK) member organisations.'
They say it was brought in to protect customers after seeing an increase in the number of people trying to gain access to its premises with dogs, via illegitimate means, such as using ID and jackets, which can be purchased online.
Following complaints from disabled customers, the EHRC formally wrote to the pub chain to warn that its dog policy might be unlawful.
The charity Assistance Dogs UK have maintained that, under the law, there is no legal requirement to produce ID and that the pub chain's policy was discriminatory.
The BBC reports that Ms Stephenson, who no longer uses Wetherspoon pubs after feeling discriminated against, said the staff stopped her as she walked in.
Despite her dog, Bobby, being in a harness, having a flash in her lead, and being a very obvious guide dog, they wouldn't let her go in if she didn't have an ID for her, she said.
'Fortunately, on this occasion, I did actually have it with me, so they thankfully let us in. But I was still stopped, still singled out, still treated differently. I just felt so sick, so stressed', added Ms Stephenson.
Liberal Democrat MP Steve Darling said he was challenged for ID last August and felt compelled to stand his ground, warning the policy could impact people with various disabilities, including those living with PTSD.
The Equality Act 2010 states that service providers have a duty to make 'a reasonable adjustment' to accommodate the needs of disabled people and not to treat them less favourably than other customers.
JD Wetherspoon said: 'We consider the requirement for assistance dogs to have accredited training from ADUK member organisations to be a reasonable adjustment to our policy, as required by the relevant legislation.
'Our pubs are large and very busy. Bearing in mind the significant increase in dog bites and hospitalisations, common sense indicates a clear need for documentary proof of training in our pubs.'
ADUK chief executive, Vicky Worthington, said Wetherspoon had approached the charity for assistance before establishing the policy on dogs, but didn't take on board any of the advice they provided.
Since Wetherspoons introduced a ban on dogs in 2018, with the exception of assistance dogs, there has been significant friction between the pub chain and the assistance dog community.
Louise Harris was left in tears in January 20203 after she was kicked out of a Wetherspoon's pub for bringing in her assistance dog.
She was enjoying a meal at The Reginald Mitchell in Stoke-on-Trent with five friends, when she was told her cockapoo Bella was not welcome.
The 40-year-old wheelchair user lives with multiple sclerosis and suffers with a lack of mobility - her dog helps her with everyday tasks such as getting dressed and opening doors.
But she was dismayed when the manager approached her and told her no dogs were allowed, despite her providing proof of Bella's credentials as an assistance dog.
More recently, Rob Gray, who is diabetic, was denied access because he did not have the correct ID card for the Cavapoochon Molly, who alerts Rob of when his blood sugar levels rise or fall.
At the time, ADUK said 'no such requirement exists' under the law for having the correct ID card for the dog.
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