A woman with Parkinson's disease was asked to leave a Wetherspoon pub in Wales after the staff mistook her condition for drunkenness.
Helen Fish, 60, from Scunthorpe, says she was told by a waitress 'you've had enough' while enjoying a drink after lunch on holiday in Caernarfon, in Gwynedd.
The former petrol station attendant, who's suffered from Parkinson's for 15 years, and her full-time carer and husband Martin, visited the Tafarn Y Porth, a Wetherspooons pub located near the town's historic castle, on Friday last week (July 9), Wales Online reports.
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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'.
"My husband asked what she'd meant by that and she replied, 'Your wife's falling all over the place'."
Helen said she tried to explain to the girl that her condition causes her "to shake and sway about" - but she was told by the staff member she would be "keeping an eye" on her.
"Honestly, I can't keep still - I even slip and slide whilst sitting down and am forever falling off chairs," Helen said.
Helen added that when she informed the bar manager about what had happened he told her she'd upset his employee.
"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."
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."
