A YOUNG army veteran who suffered facial scarring after being injured serving in Afghanistan, has claimed he was refused entry to a York bar because of his appearance.

James Dalby, 23, from York, said he was the only one of his group of friends to be stopped when they tried to enter Yates’s bar in the city on Saturday.

Mr Dalby said he was initially told he could not come in as he was dressed too casually, but when the member of door staff was questioned by a friend, she was told it was because of his scars and that “it looks bad”.

However, a spokeswoman for Yates’s says he was prevented from entering the pub solely for dressing too casually.

The claims provoked a storm of protest on social media, with people leaving furious messages on the bar’s Facebook page and other sites.

Mr Dalby suffered shrapnel and burn injuries to his face, a fractured eye socket, broken leg and third degree burns, when he was caught in an IED explosion whilst serving in Afghanistan in 2010.

A spokeswoman for Yates York said they took the allegations very seriously and had conducted a full investigation, adding: “We can confirm that a group of customers were refused entry at one of our sites because they did not meet the dress code in place for that evening which applies to the wearing of sportswear/hooded tops.”

She added: “As a business we have a long standing relationship with not only Help for Heroes but a number of forces charities. The Yates' businesses alone raised over £125,000 for Help for Heroes during its 125 year birthday event which is being used to help create a new rehabilitation area at Headley Court.

“In addition we are part of a wider agreement with the Ministry of Defence that guarantees any soldier, airman or sailor who leaves the forces an interview at one of our premises.”