TWO taxi drivers have been fined after refusing to take a blind passenger with an assistance dog to the pub.

Goran Abdullah and Shafqat Ullah Khan both said they were allergic to dogs when they were approached by a blind passenger, who was travelling with their assistance dog and an officer from Durham County Council.

Both taxi drivers had both been parked at the rank at Prince Bishops, in Durham, on April 7.

Abdullah, 35, of Avonmouth Road, Sunderland, and Khan, 39, from Hillhead Drive, Newcastle, both said they believed they were exempt from carrying dogs because they had medical evidence.

Abdullah had a letter from a from a doctor, but it was deemed insufficient to confirm he had an allergy.

Khan underwent tests in Pakistan which showed he is allergic to parrots, dogs and cats and has since applied for and been granted an exemption certificate.

Magistrates at Peterlee ordered the men to pay fines of £169, costs of £400 and a victim surcharge of £30 each.

Joanne Waller, the council’s head of environment, health and consumer protection, said: “While we know the vast majority of the drivers we license comply with all relevant legislation, a minority refuse to take passengers with assistance dogs. This practice is an offence under the Equalities Act, unless a driver has a valid exemption certificate, and we will not tolerate it in County Durham.

“We hope that the financial penalties and the criminal convictions these two men find themselves with will serve as a deterrent to other drivers who may be minded to follow their example and show we are serious about taking appropriate action where offences like this occur.”