A Corbridge pub has apologised to a customer and invited him for free drinks after he was turned away because he did not have a smartphone.
David Walters, 78, told the Telegraph he was refused service at the Angel in Corbridge, Northumberland, because staff would only serve customers who can check in to Test and Trace and order on their smartphones.
Mr Walters criticised the policy as 'ageist', pointing out that many older people do not own the latest technology.
The Angel has confirmed its smartphone-only policy was a mistake and offered apologies to Mr Walters.
In a post on Facebook, the Angel wrote: "After following guidelines we have made a mistake and we are sorry.
"Everyone is welcome at The Angel.
"We will be personally apologising to David and inviting him over for drinks on the house."
Government guidance states venues must provide an alternative method for customers to submit their contact details if they do not own a smartphone.
The guidelines say: "You must make sure that there is a method of checking in that does not rely on the customer using a smartphone or other technology in order not to digitally exclude people without access to these technologies.”
