A bride-to-be claims she had to cut short her hen do after being whipped by a horse and carriage coachman when she stood in his way outside a bar.
Kerry Dugdale, 29, was stood in the road outside a karaoke bar in Blackpool, Lancashire, on when she noticed the horse and carriage approaching. She said she moved out of the way by stepping onto the kerb.
Miss Dugdale claims she was then whipped by the driver, leaving an 11-inch scar on her back.
The mother-of-four said the incident, on September 9, ruined her night out and she was forced to go home.
Kerry Dugdale (left), 29, was stood in the road outside a karaoke bar in Blackpool, Lancashire, on when she noticed the horse and carriage approaching. She claims she was whipped by the driver, leaving an 11-inch scar on her back (right)
The mother-of-four said the incident, on September 9, ruined her night out and she was forced to go home
As well as the physical pain, Miss Dugdale was left worrying whether the ugly mark would be visible on her big day.
She said: ‘I had such a good night with my family and friends until this happened.
‘We were stood outside the bar on a side street when I noticed the horses coming up the road.
‘I was stood right near the edge of the pavement so I stepped up onto the kerb and moved in as much as I could.
‘I was still kind of on the edge but I definitely wasn’t in his way, there was plenty of room for them to move past me.
‘He rode past and I just felt this sting on my back and heard him tell me to move out of his way.
‘I didn’t even get the chance to get his licence number or anything, I was in shock.
‘I think I swore at him as an initial reaction but that’s it.
‘All of my friends were just in shock. If I was in his way he could have just shouted, he didn’t need to whip me.
As well as the physical pain, Miss Dugdale (bottom right) was left worrying whether the ugly mark would be visible on her big day
Miss Dugdale and her friends attempted to find the driver so they could report the incident to the police but were unable to locate him
‘The mark went right across my back. If it hurt me and marked me like this I’d hate to think how it hurts the horses.
‘I was just gobsmacked, it spoilt my night. Afterwards we just went home, I didn’t want to stay out.’
With her wedding to fiancé Westley, 27, due to take place the week after, Miss Dugdale was worried that the mark would be there while in her wedding dress.
Miss Dugdale (pictured) on her hen night
Miss Dugdale and her friends attempted to find the driver so they could report the incident to the police but were unable to locate him.
She said: ‘We were on a side road that leads to the back door of the bar. Me and my friends went around the front of the bar to try and see if we could spot him but we couldn’t see him anywhere.
‘There were that many carriages it was difficult to single out the one.
‘We told a couple of the carriage owners what had happened but they weren’t able to help us as we didn’t know who it was for definite.
‘I was worried as I had a wedding dress to wear the next week and I didn’t want a huge mark up my back.
‘If he had scarred me and you could have seen it with my wedding dress on I definitely would have gone to find him, believe me.
‘I just don’t know why he didn’t just ask me to move.’
A spokesperson for Blackpool Council said they were unable to comment as they had not received a formal complaint from Kerry and could not identify a driver without a licence number.