Holiday left bad taste in mouth (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Holiday left bad taste in mouth

11:50pm Wednesday 28th May 2008 in

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A former councillor who was forced to stash gluten-free food in her car on a ferry says she is the victim of discrimination.

Lynne Joyce, 60, of Park Road, Shipley, is gluten intolerant and was forced to prepare food at home and store it in a cool box plugged into her car for her trip to Bilbao, Spain, after ferry bosses told her they couldn't cater for her requirements.

The food was transported 270 miles from her home to where she and her husband caught the P&O ferry in Portsmouth. Her meals were handed over to the catering staff onboard who then reheated it upon request during the 30-hour journey.

The former Keighley town councillor made the journey to carry out work on a holiday home and made the crossing by sea so they could transport two motorbikes.

She said: "It's disability discrimination. I'm mad about this.

"They are disowning the interests of people like me with special dietary needs. You can get cartloads of stuff from supermarkets so there's no excuse.

"It seems unreasonable - if short-haul airlines can cope with gluten-free, why can't P&O ferries? It's just plain wrong. My holiday was a nightmare."

She contacted Shipley MP Philip Davies and Yorkshire and Humber MEP Richard Corbett who advised her to submit her complaint to the Equality and Human Rights Comm-ission.

Mr Corbett said: "Transport providers are not excluded from disability legislation but does a food allergy count as some sort of disability? I would imagine it does.

"If P&O say it's too bad, that's an indictment of the company."

He said he would consider raising the matter in the European Parliament.

A spokesman for P&O ferries said: "We have tried to explain that we are not set up to give Mrs Joyce the commitment she needs regarding her special diet.

"We're saddened to learn we're accused of breaching her human rights and that she has written to her MPs asking if there is any legislation she can use to prosecute us.

"We are sympathetic as we come into contact with people who follow special diets for a number of reasons including ethics, religion and health. Some-times we can meet their wishes - but not always.

"Every element of our food handling is strictly regulated so we are cautious about advising passengers when it comes to bringing their own food on board. That's why we explain people must take responsibility for any food they bring on board themselves."