A WOMAN has been awarded damages by a judge after a Chorley hotelier turned her away from his guesthouse because she was black.

Fay McGowan won £1,500 this week after she took the owner of the Theatre Hotel, Dole Lane, to court because he refused her a room when she visited Chorley for the funeral of her father-in-law.

The hotel owner Patrick Lacey is planning to appeal and has been advised by his lawyers not to talk about the case.

Mrs McGowan said: "This was not about the money, I thought this kind of problem had gone away decades ago.

"If this helps one person to think twice before judging someone on their colour, then it's been worth it."

Mrs McGowan, from Nelson Place West, Bath, visited Chorley in February 2003 with her husband Joe, brother of prominent Chorley councillor and former mayor Tom McGowan.

They were due to attend the funeral of Joe's father but, after it was delayed, decided to check into a hotel.

She claimed in court that when they arrived at the eight-bedroomed hotel, Mr Lacey answered the door and after a few seconds told them there were no rooms available.

Mrs McGowan, a 40-year-old writer and model, said: "We could see there were no cars parked there and it was not a particularly busy time of year. As Joe and I walked back to the car we both just thought the same thing and knew something was not quite right. We both got a really bad feeling and thought that he'd turned us away because I was black."

Joe, a probation officer, asked his brother Tom to call the hotel anonymously and inquire about room availability.

When he did so, he was told there was a room available and was asked if he would require breakfast. The phone bill was produced in court to provide evidence of the call. The couple informed the Commission for Racial Equality and, after their complaint was transferred to their home town, they were told they had a case.

Mrs McGowan said: "There were many times I didn't want to go ahead with this and I didn't think I was going to win. But I felt this was so outrageous in this day and age and I truly abhor unfairness."

At the hearing at Bristol County Court, Mr Lacey claimed that it was not he who turned the couple away, but one of a group of people who sometimes gathered in his basement.

But the judge decided that, on the balance of probability, the man who answered both the door and the phone to Tom McGowan was Mr Lacey.

In his defence, Mr Lacey produced letters from various professional people of different ethnic minorities, including a doctor, claiming they had been made to feel welcome at The Theatre.

Mrs McGowan is currently writing her first novel and says the case has highlighted the issues that still face black people.

She said: "I'm didn't do this for me, I did it because I thought this battle had been won long ago. I haven't got anything against Mr Lacey, I just think if he doesn't want to let black people stay in his hotel, he's in the wrong business."