Brighton nightclub case serves as disability reminder for pubs

The case of a Brighton nightclub that was hauled before the courts because staff refused entry to a blind person is serving as a reminder to all licensees.

The Junction nightclub in Brighton, East Sussex, was fined £750 by Brighton County Court last month for refusing entry to John Griffith from Moreton, Merseyside. He was told he could not enter unless accompanied by an able-bodied person as it would be too dangerous in the event of a fire.

Mr Griffith took the club's owner Sound and Music GB Ltd, to court with support from the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB), claiming it breached the Disability Discrimination Act, which makes it illegal to refuse goods or services to a disabled person.

RNIB's legal officer Catherine Casserly, said: "Requests to RNIB for assistance from blind and partially sighted people who have been refused service on spurious grounds of health and safety have risen considerably over the past year, but this case shows that the Disability Discrimination Act can be used to tackle such assumptions."

All licensees have to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act, which will come into full force in 2004. The Act requires businesses to make "reasonable adjustments" to ensure their premises are accessible to disabled people.

A spokeswoman for the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) said: "There are some 8.5 million disabled people in the UK with an estimated annual purchasing power of £50bn. Businesses can tap into this market without needing to break the bank."