Disabled man '˜kicked out' of Bognor Subway

A disabled man who was '˜desperate for the toilet' was turned away from Subway in Bognor Regis.
By The Newsroom
Published 22nd Apr 2016, 15:06 BST
Updated 7th Jun 2018, 18:38 BST

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Andrew Pickthall outside the Subway in Bognor, which was his favourite restaurantAndrew Pickthall outside the Subway in Bognor, which was his favourite restaurant
Andrew Pickthall outside the Subway in Bognor, which was his favourite restaurant

Andrew Pickthall, 37, who has down’s syndrome, says he was left ‘upset and cross’ by the incident, and now too embarrassed to return to his favourite place to eat.

It happened at the High Street restaurant on Wednesday afternoon after Andrew had arrived in town following an appointment at Bognor Hospital.

He said: “I took my own bottle of drink with me.

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“I finished the drink on the bus and the next minute I was bursting to go (to the) toilet.

“I went into Subway, I went to go (to the) toilet and a man properly kicked me out.

“He was staff and he said if I want to use loo I have to buy lunch.”

Andrew had to wait for another bus to take him back to his home in West Meads before he could relieve himself.

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He had just come from Bognor Hospital after a hearing aid appointment.

Andrew said he was left ‘upset, cross’ by the incident, and now doesn’t think he’ll be able to go back into the restaurant, which is his most favourite place to eat in the town.

A Subway spokesperson said: “The Subway® brand is committed to providing a safe and enjoyable environment for all customers.

“All our stores are independently owned and managed by franchisees.

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“The toilets at the Bognor store are for customer use however, under special circumstances these facilities can be made available to members of the public who have not bought items from the store.

“The owner of the store has since investigated this incident with the staff to clarify this policy.”

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