Jane Phillips Bullock, an acclaimed dancer who trained several Strictly Come Dancing professionals and starred in her own Channel 5 series, Baby Ballroom, was left "embarrassed and humiliated" after a visit to Wetherspoons.
Jane suffered a devastating stroke in August 2025, which caused her to lose half of her sight and all movement in the left side of her body, as well as some cognitive skills and bodily functions. She now requires a wheelchair and specialist equipment to leave the house.
Incident at The Cross Inn
Following a recent two-hour intensive neurological physiotherapy session, she and her husband, fellow dancer Warren, along with her carer Sue, visited The Cross Inn in Kingswinford. However, after the lengthy process of getting her from the car and into the venue, they were asked to leave because Sue had her small dog Poppy with her, as canines are not allowed on the premises.
This required going through the entire process of getting Jane out of the venue and back into the car again. Warren was so outraged by their treatment that he wrote to Wetherspoon's chairman Tim Martin to complain.
Warren's complaint
Sharing the letter and his complaint online, he insisted his issue was not with the policy around dogs, but rather the way the situation was handled by staff. He stated he feels there could be more "flexibility" in situations like this.
"Every outing is a major undertaking... What most people would consider a simple trip out has become a physically and emotionally exhausting task for all of us," he penned.
He said since there was no wheelchair-accessible entrance from the rear of the building once they got Jane out of the car, they were forced to head across the car park, onto the main road and through the main entrance. They then had to weave in between tables and customers before they eventually reached the outdoor seating area. He maintains they did not see a clearly visible "no dogs allowed" sign before they began this process or they would have gone elsewhere.
Lack of compassion
He acknowledged the dog is not a registered assistance dog, but said, "She has become an important source of comfort and reassurance for Jane since her stroke". He said she helps to reduce Jane's anxiety and bring a sense of calm. He added: "As it was a very warm day, leaving Poppy in the car was simply not an option."
"Shortly [after we found a table], three members of staff approached us and informed us that dogs were not permitted and asked us to leave," he wrote. "I want to make it absolutely clear [this is] not a complaint about Wetherspoon’s no-dogs policy.... My complaint is about the way the situation was handled.
"It was obvious that Jane is profoundly disabled and that moving her is neither quick nor easy. Rather than showing any understanding or empathy for our situation, the approach felt forceful, unsympathetic and unnecessarily rigid. There was no... attempt to handle the situation with the sensitivity and compassion that such exceptional circumstances deserved."
"We... had to make the same journey back through the pub in front of other customers before repeating the entire transfer process to get Jane back into the car. After an exhausting physiotherapy session, she was left completely drained. We also felt embarrassed and humiliated."
"What saddened me most was the complete absence of compassion," he reflected. "Sometimes outstanding customer service is not about making exceptions to policy; it is about recognising when people are facing extraordinary circumstances, treating them with kindness, dignity and respect, and looking for a practical solution wherever possible."
Express.co.uk have contacted representatives for Wetherspoons for comment.
