A BLIND pensioner was left stranded in the rain after a taxi refused to carry her guide dog for fear of getting hair on the seats.

Brenda Midgeley, 66, of Bedfordshire Avenue, Burnley, had spent the afternoon at the Carters' and Motormen's Club, Nelson, where she had been hosting a Christmas party for people with severe sight difficulties.

After cleaning up, she called Nelson company Four Star Taxis at about 5pm.

Mrs Midgeley said the car took more than half an hour to turn up and when it arrived, the driver refused to allow Lucy, the seven-year-old guide dog who has accompanied her for five years, to travel.

The taxi firm is now facing calls for a review of their licence.

Mrs Midgeley and her husband Joe explained to the driver that, under disability discrimination laws, he had to accommodate the dog, but she said he radioed into his office, where managers still told him to refuse to let them in, and sped off.

She said: "I was quite upset about it all - we had been working all day as volunteers and then we ended up standing in the rain and having to get a company we knew to come out from Burnley."

Mrs Midgeley lost her sight 16 years ago and now has only residual vision.

"We had been very polite and asked where he wanted the dog in the car - next time we'll have to put a foot in the door and hope he doesn't speed off with us half in and half out!

"I can laugh about it now, but I couldn't at the time."

The company said that she should have informed them about the dog, and they would have sent one of their older cars.

Kitsar Iqbal, of Four Star Taxis, said: "We don't take any dogs.

"If we do we get complaints from other customers because they get hair on the seats.

"We have got a nice car - people should tell us first if they want to take a dog and we will send one of our older ones."

The company was condemned by the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB), while the president of Pendle Taxi Association, Mohammad Saeed, called for the driver to be brought before Pendle Council's licensing committee.

He said: "I can't understand why a driver would do that - this is a very serious matter and we cannot allow any taxi driver to behave like that.

"At our next meeting with Pendle Council we will be asking them to take notice when drivers are breaking the law like this.

"We will be calling the company to our committee meeting and we will be recommending that they should be called to the licensing committee. We will not let them get away with this."

Bill Alker, a spokesman for the RNIB said: "This kind of situation happens too often to blind and partially sighted people.

"It's absolutely wrong and must stop. Many taxi drivers and cab company operators are flouting a good law that was introduced to help blind and partially sighted people get about more independently.

"Drivers who commit the offence of refusing to take an assistance dog can face losing their licence and a fine of up to £1,000.

"Many blind people rely on taxis to get around. Not being able to get access to this kind of service is completely wrong and can affect their independence and confidence.

"In many cases this causes real problems in their work, educational and social life."