A BLIND MAN has hit back at people who have abused him for taking his guide dog into Scholemoor Cemetery to visit his gran's grave.

Yasar Atta, 22, of Scholemoor, said he has been harassed and abused by people in the cemetery who tell him he should not have his dog with him.

He said: "I am so upset. I go to the graveyard since my grandma passed away every day.

"I was harassed by a guy. As soon as I got through the gates a man was shouting 'Oi' at the top of his voice. Two seconds later I could hear it again."

He said he realised it must have been him he was shouting about and started walking towards the voice which then said "your dog is not allowed in here".

"I was trying to explain things to the guy," Mr Atta added. "Anywhere a human's allowed she's allowed.

"An old woman was saying sorry for him. If she wasn't there he would have struck me.

"I don't see why people have such a problem. I hope to educate people that guide dogs are allowed to go everywhere."

Mr Atta was backed by Bradford Council. A Council spokesperson said: “Guide dogs and service dogs, used by people with a disability, are not excluded from the cemeteries in the district.

“The district cemeteries comply with the Dogs Exclusion (City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council) Order 2013 where dogs in cemeteries must be kept on a lead and in some areas they are excluded. This regulation does not apply to guide dog and service dog users.”

Mr Atta said workers at the cemetery had been very helpful to him in the past, helping him around graves. He said they had promised to change wording on the signs on the site which at present say 'No dogs allowed' to point out guide dogs are.

He said the cemetery incidents were not the only times he has been targeted because of his guide dog, a Labrador called Kassie.

He said on many occasions people cross the road so they do not have to walk past him.

And he said on one occasion at a Bradford branch of Subway he was initially refused service before the manager relented.

In 2015 Mr Atta was chosen as the face of a national campaign highlighting the achievements of people with visual impairments, and show that they can still live fulfilled, happy lives.

He was featured on posters, online adverts and a film for the Royal National College for the Blind as part of a campaign called I Can Belong.He talked about how he has not been held back by his condition, and attempted to break down the stigma associated with being blind.

The campaign was given a big boost by Bradford City FC, which shared a film in which the Bantams fan talked about his love of football. He hoped to take part in a work placement at the club.

Mr Atta was at college at the time. Before then his condition - Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy - meant he faced many difficulties in fitting in, and was even bullied. But since he started at the college in Hereford he had come into his own.

His condition meant that at age 14 he began to lose his sight. Mr Atta said at the time: "I was at mainstream school when I lost my sight.

"None of my mates really understood what I was going through. They didn’t believe I couldn’t see properly and I ended up falling out with them. I got bullied by others and just didn’t want to be at school any more.”