Paul Goodwin, 48, was repeatedly told he could not sit and eat with his Labrador Molly by his side while out for lunch with a friend

A blind man has revealed how he felt like bursting into tears after being refused entry to Thai restaurant because he had his guide dog with him.

Paul Goodwin, of Carterton, Oxfordshire, was repeatedly told he could not sit and eat with his five-year-old brown Labrador Molly by his side while out for lunch with a friend.

The 48-year-old father-of-two then called police following a row with staff but was shocked to be then only offered a table by the door.

Mr Goodwin had arranged to meet a friend at Angrid Thai but was refused entry by staff who told him they had a ‘no dogs’ policy.

Despite handing over an information card explaining the rights of guide dog owners, Mr Goodwin said staff continued to turn him away.

He said: ‘There's a point where you just feel like bursting into tears. It feels really nasty. My dog is like a mobile phone is to some people. Not having her would be like having an arm removed.

'It seems to be happening more and more frequently. It's the result of a lack of awareness and I find it very frustrating.’

Mr Goodwin, who works for Oxfordshire County Council, was diagnosed as a child with Choroideremia, a rare inherited disorder that causes progressive vision loss.

About five years ago the customer services worker's condition began to deteriorate and he is now registered as legally blind.

WHAT IS CHOROIDEREMIA? Choroideremia is an inherited retina disorder that causes progressive vision loss, ultimately leading to complete blindness. It is believed to affect just one in 50,000 individuals - mostly males. It is caused by a genetic defect of the X-chromosome. Men have just one X chromosome, while women have two, which means a normal X chromosome can compensate for an unhealthy one. The first symptom tends to be night-blindness, followed by vision loss in the mid-periphery. Over time the peripheral vision loss leads to 'tunnel vision' and eventually complete loss of sight. There is currently no cure for Choroideremia, but a gene therapy treatment is under trial in the US, the UK, and in Canada. Source: Choroideremia Research Foundation Advertisement

Angrid Thai waitress Yure Nasthat said: ‘It was a misunderstanding. We have a no dogs policy and we didn't know he was blind or that it was a guide dog.

‘When we realised we told them to sit down but he was not happy with that and did not want to stay to eat.’

Oxford City Council recently sent information leaflets provided by the charity Guide Dogs to about 800 food businesses.

Oxford East Labour MP Andrew Smith has been supporting a campaign by Guide Dogs to increase awareness of the law.

He said: ‘It's appalling that yet again we see this happening in a restaurant in Oxford and it underlines the importance for all restaurant managers, staff, and all premises open to the public to respect people's basic human rights.’

The charity said almost half of guide dog owners who took part in a survey have experienced access refusals in the last year.

Under the Equality Act 2010, owners of registered, qualified assistance dogs have the right to enter restaurants, cafes, pubs and other food premises with their assistance dogs.

A Guide Dogs spokesman told MailOnline: 'We were sorry to hear that Paul was turned away by a restaurant in Oxford because of his guide dog.

'People with sight loss rely on their guide dogs to live with freedom and confidence, and it’s extremely distressing to be turned away by a business.