Sir, I am a disabled customer with extremely limited mobility as a result of strokes and osteoporosis. I do look forward to very regular visits to "mainly" Costa, Bishop Auckland, which is normally a very pleasant outing I make at least 3 or 4 times a week. At this point it would be best to point out that I am only able to stand for a couple of minutes at best, again, as a result of illness. On Saturday 11th July I travelled with my husband (I am unable to walk at all without his support) to Costa Bishop Auckland and we arrived at the shop at around noon. There was no-one to meet us at the door and bearing in mind my earlier statement regarding my inability to stand my husband helped me in to the shop and looked for a table that was in use, at the same time he spoke to the nearest two people in the queue and asked if if was ok for me to sit and they had no objections. At this point a member of staff approached the table and told me that I could not sit there. Her manner was very abrupt and rather loud and, whilst I tried to explain about my disability she was having none of it and simply put out her right arm with the palm of her hand up, a rather ambiguous gesture which has no obvious meaning. I appreciate that at this time you have to have a system, but in that case, we should have been met by a member of staff at the door where I could have explained my problem and he/she could have explained we would have to go elsewhere or, perhaps offered me a chair away from the queue, or is that just my former management experience coming to the fore. Instead I was made to feel very embarrassed and more than a little upset. After many years of Costa being my No1 Coffee Shop, I am not sure I will be back.