Pub chain Wetherspoons apologised for ordering a female customer to leave because staff mistook her Parkinson’s disease for being drunk.
Helen Fish, 60, visited the Tafarn Y Porth pub with her husband Martin, 63, while on holiday in Caernarfon, North Wales.
Mrs Fish, from Scunthorpe, was approached by a female member of staff and told her she was ‘falling all over the place’ because of too much alcohol.
When the couple tried to explain Mrs Fish’s condition to the pub manager they were told she had ‘upset the staff member’.
Wetherspoons has now apologised to former petrol station worker Mrs Fish – who has suffered from Parkinson’s for 15 years.
Helen said: ‘We had enjoyed a couple of drinks at the pub before going for a walk, after which we sat outside a nearby chip shop and had something to eat.
‘But then we went back inside the Wetherspoon’s to order a couple more drinks – rum and lemonade for me, lager for Martin – at which point a young girl came over said, “You can leave once you’ve finished these – you’ve had enough”.
Helen Fish, 60, visited the Tafarn Y Porth pub with her husband Martin, 63, (pictured together) while on holiday in Caernarfon, North Wales
‘My husband asked what she’d meant by that and she replied, “Your wife’s falling all over the place”.
‘So I tried to explain that I have Parkinson’s and that causes me to shake and sway about.
‘Honestly, I can’t keep still – I even slip and slide whilst sitting down and am forever falling off chairs. But all the the girl could say was, “I’ll be keeping an eye on you” – no apology or anything like that.’
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Mrs Fish said that when they approached the manager they were told the worker had become upset.
Mrs Fish said: ‘She was upset? What about me? I’ve got a walking stick, I wear a pump around my neck to administer morphine and my tablets were out on the table.
‘How could anyone look at me and think anything other than I must have a problem?
‘For years I’ve put up with people staring at me, but I’ve never been told to leave a pub before because someone’s taken me for a drunk.’
Mrs Fish, from Scunthorpe, was approached by a female member of staff and told her she was ‘falling all over the place’ because of too much alcohol at the Tafarn Y Porth pub (pictured)
A JD Wetherspoon spokesman said: ‘Wetherspoon apologises for the inconvenience and upset caused to Mrs Fish during her visit to the Tafarn Y Porth, Caernarfon.
‘Having investigated the matter with the management team, the pub staff mistook the customer’s symptoms as possible signs of intoxication.
‘When the member of staff was advised that Mrs Fish suffered from Parkinson’s, she apologised for any upset caused by the mistake.
‘The company wishes to echo the apology provided by the pub team on the day and, if Mrs Fish wishes to contact the company’s head office directly, then it will address her concerns personally.’
‘Wetherspoon places great importance on its pubs being welcoming places for all customers and looks forward to Mrs Fish returning as a customer in the future.’
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