Falmouth pub 'refused to serve' man with facial palsy

A man with a facial palsy says he was refused service in a pub after staff mistook his symptoms for drunkenness.

Alex Barker, from Coventry, has Moebius Syndrome, so his face does not show expressions and his speech can appear slurred.

He said the incident at the Cutty Sark pub in Falmouth, Cornwall, left him angry and upset and is calling for greater awareness for people with similar conditions.

The pub has refused to comment.

He said he had drunk one bottle of beer on Saturday when he was told he would not be served as he was "under the influence".

Mr Barker, 43, said: "I've been disabled all my life and sometimes you just try to forget about it, but then you have experiences that really kick you where it hurts."

Dr James Partridge, chief executive of Changing Faces, the national charity that supports people with conditions or injuries that affect their appearance, said the pub had to "face up to its responsibilities".

He said: "The pub's management and the wider hospitality and business community in Cornwall have a responsibility to make sure that everyone is made to feel welcome."