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Anthony Severs: Man, 76, DENIED entry into bar for being TOO OLD says ‘its discrimination’

Severs decided to go to McCooley's for a pint and to shelter from the rain but was turned away by a bouncer who allegedly said he was 'too old' to come in

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND: Being turned away from a pub for being too young is commonplace but a man found himself in a strange situation when he was refused entry for being 'too old.' On July 25, Anthony Severs decided to stop by the Irish pub McCooley's in Liverpool around 10 pm to get some shelter from the rain and have a pint while he was there.

The bouncer, however, informed the 76-year-old Severs that he was "too old" to enter, leaving him "shell-shocked." He claims he has since protested, but the pub has not yet apologized, and he feels "discriminated against" as a result of his age.

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The retired shipbuilder described the strange situation as follows: "I'd just come out of The Grapes - it was raining and I'd been soaked. I don't live far from town and without the buses (due to the ongoing Arriva strike), I was walking home. But because it was raining, I thought I'd go into McCooley's just to dry off and have a drink."

"I got up the stairs to go in, but a bouncer said I couldn't come in. I asked why and she said I was too old," Severs stated. "I said 'that's discrimination.' She then said nothing. I just walked away, I was shell-shocked."

Anthony, who has a daughter and numerous grandchildren, continued, "How would it make you feel? It was only when I walked away that it hit me. I thought 'hang on - too old?' I was shocked, I've been drinking around town for 60-odd years and nothing like this has ever happened before."

Severs said, "People might laugh - being told you're too old - [but] it's not on." The grandfather was so perplexed by the situation that he decided to talk to his daughter about it. He claimed to drink on Mathew Street because he frequently runs into familiar faces. She suggested that he lodge a complaint with McCooley's. But Severs claims that after doing so, he was instructed to get in touch with the company the bar hires to provide security personnel.

"When I got my head together, I went down to McCooley's and they said it wasn't down to them, it was down to the security firm," Severs said. "I said that I wanted a personal apology because she kept me out personally."

In response to the event, McCooley's has since issued the following statement to LADbible: "As a bar and restaurant venue which specializes in live music and sporting events, we pride ourselves on creating a fun, vibrant, and all-inclusive environment at McCooley's, and so we are really saddened to hear that Mr Severs has been left feeling upset, and thank him for bringing this situation to our attention."

"Unfortunately Mr Severs wasn't allowed in after leaving the Grapes but his age wasn't a factor and there may be a bit of miscommunication on the night. Most of our customers, especially midweek are indeed older. He's certainly allowed back at any time," the statement continued. "The external security person who he wanted the personal apology from no longer works for the security company we employ, but he has received an apology from the head of the security company responsible for employing her - in person."

"We are informed that this took place at their offices last week in the city center. If Mr Severs would like to come back we'll certainly make sure he's looked after. He had previously refused to give his details to the security company when he met them so we couldn't contact him ourselves, as a venue," the statement concluded. "The Liverpool Echo article was the first time any of the managers at McCooley's knew of the initial complaint."

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