A TRAVELLER has been awarded damages after he was barred from a Middlewich pub for being a gipsy.

Hawthorne Price, 19, won the racial discrimination case he brought at Manchester Crown Court against the White Bear on Wheelock Street, which had refused him entry.

The case dates from an incident in October 2002, when Mr Price claimed he was told by bouncers that no gipsies were allowed in the White Bear.

But Mr Price, who has lived in Middlewich all his life and attended school in the town, told them he was a local lad.

The court was told that Graham Russell, then landlord-to-be, came to the door and said to Hawthorne he would not allow gipsies entry to the pub when he took over the licence.

Manchester Crown Court ordered the publican to pay Mr Price £1,000 in damages plus court costs, making a total of £1,176.41.

Hawthorne, of Three Oakes Caravan Park, was joined in court by his dad, Tom Price.

Speaking after the verdict, the father said: 'When Hawthorne got back that night, he was upset.

'On the Sunday morning I went to see the landlord to see if I could give them the benefit of the doubt. I said, 'apparently you have made a mistake, Hawthorne's always in town, he always comes round'.

'But Mr Russell said that his policy would be that there would be no gipsies allowed.

'I told him he couldn't do that because there's such a thing as race discrimination, and he said, 'fine, take me to court'.

'If my son has done wrong, he should be barred and punished - but bar him for what he's done, not for who he is.

'He's never been in trouble with the police.

'I'm grateful we have won the case because they were wrong.'

He insisted it could have been all over had the pub staff apologised when he went to see them.

'If Mr Russell had apologised that morning, saying they had made a mistake, I wouldn't have gone to court,' he said.

Mr Price added: 'We don't have the same lifestyle as the out-of-town travellers, but the people of Middlewich still blame us for what other travellers do.'

A spokesman for Pubwatch Middlewich said: 'It should be understood that decisions on barring customers are based solely upon an individual's behaviour and that their background simply doesn't come into it.'