Maddie Haining, who is a wheelchair user, described the experience as “frustrating and embarrassing”
07:26, 14 Apr 2026
Maddie Haining, 18, alleged she was kicked out of a bar for being a “safety risk”
A Manchester city centre bar has launched an internal investigation amid claims a “shocked” wheelchair user was escorted from the premises – after allegedly being told she was a safety risk.
Maddie Haining said the incident took place in the early hours of Saturday (April 11), during a night out with a friend at Club Tropicana on Canal street. The 18-year-old entered the venue at around 2am, where her ID was checked and she was assisted inside by security.
“They said everything was OK as long as I was OK being in there,” she told the Manchester Evening News. But she claimed that within minutes, security staff had returned and told her she would have to leave.
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“They said the bar manager had told them that I was a safety risk,” she said. Maddie then claimed she asked to speak directly with the manager, who approached her with another staff member and security.
She said: “He told me I was a safety risk because of my chair, then said I was a fire risk and they couldn’t have me in here.”
Maddie shares her experiences and raises awareness about life with a disability on social media
Maddie told the M.E.N. she challenged the decision, citing the Equality Act 2010, telling staff she “was not going to be leaving the bar”.
According to Maddie the reasoning later changed, and she claims she was told she had to leave because her friend had had a drink and ‘couldn’t help her’. She said staff had returned several times over a period of around 40 minutes in the venue before she left the premises.
“They told me they wouldn’t leave me until I had left,” she said.
Describing the experience as “frustrating and embarrassing”, she said it was particularly concerning given the bar’s location.
The video, which has been seen more than 75,000 times on Instagram
“Canal Street is supposed to be an inclusive community for everybody and that’s where I’m being discriminated, it’s shocking,” she said.
Maddie said she has visited many bars before without issue and questioned why concerns around her being a safety risk weren’t raised before she was allowed to enter. Recalling a previous experience at another venue, she said security staff had carried her down stairs and assisted her with her wheelchair, before helping her again when leaving.
She said: “It was never a problem for them. If I was a safety risk they shouldn’t have let me in in the first place.”
The student, who creates online content sharing her experiences and raising awareness about life with a disability, later posted her experience on social media, where the video has received over 75,000 views and prompted widespread support.
She said the experience has left her more cautious of where she visits when going out.
“I’m more wary now about going to places I’ve never been before,” she said. “ I don’t know how they’ll react.”
Responding to a Manchester Evening News request for comment, a spokesperson for the bar said they had not been directly contacted by the complainant, but had been made aware of the Instagram post.
They added: “We are currently investigating the matter internally and at this time it would be inappropriate to comment further.”