A PARTIALLY-sighted man was left “horrified” after he was kicked out of a Wirral shop for bringing his guide dog into the store.

David Bennett had only entered the store with guide dog Norma to ask for directions when he became lost after getting off the bus at the wrong stop in Oxton.

The 49-year-old, from Birkenhead, had hoped someone inside the shop would point him in the right direction but was left shocked and humiliated when instead of being offered advice, he was told to “get that dog out of here” by one of the shop assistants.

Mr Bennett, who has had Labrador Norma for two years, said: “I said ‘excuse me, it’s a guide dog’, I said ‘sorry, I’m blind, I have taken a wrong turn, I’m totally lost’ but he just kept shouting to get the dog out of his shop.

“I only wanted to ask if I could use his phone. It was dark and raining and I had got off the bus at the wrong place, I was totally lost.”

Sadly, Mr Bennett is not the only person to be refused access to a shop because of his guide dog.

In fact, it is a recurring problem faced by blind and partially-sighted people on a daily basis.

Penny Williams, engagement officer for Guide Dogs Liverpool, said: “This isn’t an infrequent occurrence unfortunately.

“We have about three or four of these incidents a month across Merseyside and Cheshire - most of them are on Merseyside.

“It’s very frightening for us because we put a lot of time and effort into training the dogs and making sure guide dog owners feel confident and comfortable with dogs when they are out.

“Something like this makes people lose confidence and makes them feel like they are not a valued customer when they just want to buy a pint of milk or go into a shop for some information, things people take for granted."

Penny added: “It’s actually against the law and very upsetting and frightening for the guide dog owner.”

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Mr Bennett’s ordeal also raises another issue – the lack of audio visual announcements on public transport.

Last month, Globe senior reporter Emma Rigby spent nearly two hours without sight in an event organised by Guide Dogs Liverpool in attempt to raise awareness of the challenges faced by blind or partially-sighted people on a daily basis.

Wirral Globe:
Globe senior reporter Emma Rigby takes the blindfold challenge.

Simple things like knowing which bus to catch, where you are and when to get off are just some of the challenges faced each day by the more than 1,300 registered blind people living among us in Wirral.

Buses play a vital role in enabling disabled people, including those with sight loss, to live more independent lives.

But the worry of being unsure if you have caught the right bus puts many people off – that’s where the Guide Dog charity’s Talking Buses campaign comes in.

Audio-visual next stop and final destination announcements (AV) are essential to allowing blind and partially-sighted people the chance to live their lives to the full.

They enable people to use buses with confidence as well as improve the experience of bus travel for all passengers.

  • To sign the Talking Buses campaign, click here.